Personality in men with eating disorders.
OBJECTIVE
This study compares personality variables of men with eating disorders to women with eating disorders.


METHODS
Data were obtained from an international study of the genetics of eating disorders. Forty-two male participants were age-band matched at 1:2 ratio to females from the same study. Personality features were compared between males and females controlling for diagnostic subgroup.


RESULTS
Males with eating disorders appear to be slightly less at risk for perfectionism, harm avoidance, reward dependence, and cooperativeness than females. Few differences were found when diagnostic subgroup was considered.


CONCLUSIONS
Observed differences in personality variables may help explain the difference in incidence and prevalence of eating disorders in men and women.
Woodside
D Blake
DB
Program for Eating Disorders, University Health Network, Toronto General Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. b.woodside@utoronto.ca
Bulik
Cynthia M
CM
Thornton
Laura
L
Klump
Kelly L
KL
Tozzi
Federica
F
Fichter
Manfred M
MM
Halmi
Katherine A
KA
Kaplan
Allan S
AS
Strober
Michael
M
Devlin
Bernie
B
Bacanu
Silviu-Alin
SA
Ganjei
Kelly
K
Crow
Scott
S
Mitchell
James
J
Rotondo
Alessandro
A
Mauri
Mauro
M
Cassano
Giovanni
G
Keel
Pamela
P
Berrettini
Wade H
WH
Kaye
Walter H
WH
D000328:Adult; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires