title: Classifying eating disorders based on "healthy" and "unhealthy" perfectionism and impulsivity.
abstract: Perfectionism and impulsivity are associated with eating disorders (EDs). The current study examines whether clinically relevant subgroups of women with EDs can be identified based on "healthy" and "unhealthy" perfectionism and impulsivity.
  
  
  
  Latent profile analyses (LPA) were performed on data of 844 patients (DSM-IV diagnosis: 381 anorexia nervosa, 146 bulimia nervosa, 56 binge-eating disorder, 261 ED not otherwise specified). "Healthy" and "unhealthy" forms of perfectionism and impulsivity were assessed by the Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale and the Dickman Impulsivity Inventory, respectively. The Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire was completed to assess ED psychopathology. Furthermore, in 229 patients additional ED symptoms, depression, self-esteem, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, and personality features were assessed.
  
  
  
  The LPA revealed four profiles; 1. "Healthy Impulsivity" (HI; n = 191), 2. "Unhealthy Impulsivity" (UI; n = 238), 3. "Healthy and Unhealthy Perfectionism" (HP + UP; n = 153), 4. "Healthy Perfectionism" (HP; n = 262). Patients belonging to the "HP + UP" and the "UI" classes reported higher levels of ED psychopathology. More severe comorbid symptoms (depressive, obsessive-compulsive and self-esteem) were found in the patients belonging to the "HP + UP" class. Patients from the "HP + UP" and "HP" classes had higher scores for the personality features Harm Avoidance, Persistence and Cooperativeness.
  
  
  
  Women with EDs could be meaningfully grouped according to perfectionism and impulsivity. These findings can be used to improve treatment matching and intervention strategies. The use of dimensional features, like perfectionism and impulsivity, in ED research, may enable the identification of fundamental underlying mechanisms and provide more insight into potential mechanisms that may drive or maintain disordered eating. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. (Int J Eat Disord 2016; 49:673-680).
authors.affiliation: Rivierduinen Eating Disorders Ursula, Research Department, Leiden, Netherlands.
authors.forename: Margarita C T
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Slof-Op't Landt
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.|Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Department Adult psychiatry, University Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.
authors.forename: Laurence
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Claes
authors.affiliation: Rivierduinen Eating Disorders Ursula, Research Department, Leiden, Netherlands.|Department of Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands.
authors.forename: Eric F
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-1131-0886
authors.initials: EF
authors.lastname: van Furth
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015897:Comorbidity; D003863:Depression / Q000150:complications; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D004328:Drive; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000145:classification* / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007175:Impulsive Behavior; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000150:complications; D000072639:Perfectionism; D010551:Personality; D010552:Personality Assessment; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis; D012649:Self Concept
keywords: eating disorders; impulsivity; latent profile analyses; perfectionism