Self-oriented perfectionism in eating disorders.
OBJECTIVE
To assess perfectionism dimensions in eating disorders in comparison with other psychiatric disorders and subjects from the general population.


METHODS
The Child and Adolescent Perfectionism Scale (CAPS), the Eating Disorders Inventory (EDI-2), and the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT) were administered to a group of 108 female eating-disordered patients (75 anorexia nervosa and 33 bulimia nervosa), to a group of 86 female psychiatric patients with anxiety (N = 32), depressive (N = 38), or adaptive disorders (N = 16), and to 213 healthy female participants.


RESULTS
Both bulimic and anorexic patients scored higher on Self-Oriented Perfectionism (p < 0.001) than the other two groups but not on Socially-Prescribed Perfectionism (p = 0.054). Among patients with eating disorder, 17.6% obtained a score two standard deviations higher than the mean in the healthy comparison group on self-oriented perfectionism; this percentage was significantly higher than in the other two groups. The percentage of eating disorder patients with high socially-prescribed perfectionism was similar to that found in other psychiatric disorders. Moreover, self-oriented perfectionism was a predictor of an eating disorder.


CONCLUSIONS
Self-oriented perfectionism is more specific to eating disorders than to depressive or anxiety disorders.
Castro-Fornieles
Josefina
J
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology, Institute Clinic of Neurosciences, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi Sunyer, Hospital Clínic Universitari of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. jcastro@clinic.ub.es
Gual
Pilar
P
Lahortiga
Francisca
F
Gila
Araceli
A
Casulà
Vanesa
V
Fuhrmann
Cynthia
C
Imirizaldu
Milagros
M
Saura
Begoña
B
Martínez
Esteve
E
Toro
Josep
J
D000328:Adult; D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D001294:Attitude to Health; D052018:Bulimia Nervosa / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010551:Personality; D012919:Social Behavior; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires