title: Personality features of obese women in relation to binge eating and night eating.
abstract: Personality traits can affect eating behaviors, the development of obesity, and obesity treatment failure. We investigated the personality characteristics and their relation with disordered eating in 586 obese women consecutively seeking treatment at eight Italian medical centers (age, 47.7±9.8 years) and 185 age-matched, normal weight women without symptoms of eating disorders (Eating Attitude Test<20). The assessment included anthropometry, the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI), the Binge Eating Scale (BES) and the Night Eating Questionnaire (NEQ). Logistic regression analyses were carried out in different models with BES score≥27 and NEQ≥30 as dependent variables and TCI scores as independent factors. Personality traits of obese individuals included significantly lower self-directedness and cooperativeness on TCI. BES and NEQ scores were higher in obese women, and values above the defined cut-offs were present in 77 and 18 cases (14 with high BES), respectively. After controlling for age and BMI, high BES values were associated with high novelty seeking and harm avoidance and low self-directedness, the last two scales being also associated with high NEQ. We conclude that personality traits differ between obese patients seeking treatment and controls, and the presence of disordered eating is associated with specific personality characteristics.
authors.affiliation: Department of Eating & Weight Disorder, Villa Garda Hospital, Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: Riccardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dalle Grave
authors.forename: Simona
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Calugi
authors.forename: Giulio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Marchesini
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Beck-Peccoz
authors.forename: Ottavio
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Bosello
authors.forename: Angelo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Compare
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cuzzolaro
authors.forename: Enzo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Grossi
authors.forename: Edoardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mannucci
authors.forename: Enrico
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Molinari
authors.forename: Franco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tomasi
authors.forename: Nazario
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Melchionda
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000886:Anthropometry; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology*; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D016015:Logistic Models; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000150:complications*; D010556:Personality Tests; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011581:Psychological Tests; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires