Perfectionism and eating disorders: current status and future directions.
The literature examining the relation between perfectionism and eating disorders was reviewed and content and methodological comparisons were made with the perfectionism literature in anxiety disorders and depressive disorders. A PsychInfo search using the key words "perfectionism/perfect/perfectionistic," "anorexia," "bulimia," and "eating disorders" was performed and the generated list of papers was supplemented based on a review of reference lists in the papers. A total of 55 papers published between 1990 and 2005 were identified that assessed perfectionism among individuals with diagnosed eating disorders. The key research questions were distilled from these publications and empirical findings were summarized for each question, followed by a comparison with perfectionism papers in the anxiety and depressive disorder literatures. Also, key research design methodological parameters were identified and comparisons made across the three literatures: eating disorders, anxiety disorders, depressive disorders. The current review concludes with conceptual and methodological recommendations for researchers interested in perfectionism and eating disorders.
Bardone-Cone
Anna M
AM
Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, MO, USA. bardoneconea@missouri.edu
Wonderlich
Stephen A
SA
Frost
Randy O
RO
Bulik
Cynthia M
CM
Mitchell
James E
JE
Uppala
Saritha
S
Simonich
Heather
H
D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D015897:Comorbidity; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D018450:Disease Progression; D004358:Drug Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D010551:Personality; D011613:Psychotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D016896:Treatment Outcome