Eating disorders and aggressiveness among adolescents.
OBJECTIVE
To explore the links between propensity to aggression and eating disorders in a sample of school-aged adolescents in a northeastern area of Italy.


METHODS
In a mixed male-female sample of 1000 adolescents (10% of the district's population aged 15-19 years) we administered the Eating Attitudes Test, the Bulimic Investigatory Test of Edinburgh and the Body Attitudes Test, as measures of abnormal eating attitudes and behaviours, and the Aggression Questionnaire, as a measure of the propensity to aggression.


RESULTS
Females scored significantly higher than males at all eating disorders inventories (P < 0.0001). Males scored higher than females at the Aggression Questionnaire. In both genders, there was a positive correlation between scores at any of the eating disorders inventories and those at the Aggression Questionnaire (P < 0.0001).


CONCLUSIONS
Overtly expressed aggression might have a negative impact on the course of eating disorders and on the compliance with treatment, also enhancing the risk of suicide.
Miotto
P
P
Department of Drugs and Alcohol Dependence, ULS 7, Conegliano, TV, Italy.
De Coppi
M
M
Frezza
M
M
Petretto
D R
DR
Masala
C
C
Preti
A
A
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000374:Aggression / Q000523:psychology*; D015897:Comorbidity; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011594:Psychometrics; D017678:Sex Distribution; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires