Personality traits in adolescents with eating disorder: A meta-analytic review

Objective: Given the growing interest in personality traits among the young population with eating disorders (EDs) and the recognition that a better understanding of personality can facilitate clinical management, this meta-analytic study reviewed evidence concerning the relationship between personality traits and the presence of an ED during adolescence.

Method: We conducted a systematic literature search to identify studies that examined personality traits among adolescents with an ED (anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge-eating disorder, eating disorder not otherwise specified) and that compared these traits with a normative group without an ED. The personality traits investigated in the selected studies were organized according to the personality trait domains presented in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (fifth ed.). Effect sizes of the mean differences were calculated for each domain. We performed meta-regressions to assess the moderating effect of ED subtype and age on the combined effect sizes.

Results: Twenty-six studies met our inclusion criteria, containing a total of 63 effect sizes. Adolescents with EDs differed from the non-ED group according to traits related to negative affectivity (g = 0.78), detachment (g = 0.69), and conscientiousness (g = -0.53). The presence of an anorexia nervosa diagnosis moderated the relationship between an ED and personality traits; this diagnosis was more strongly associated with conscientious traits compared to other EDs.

Discussion: Our findings provide evidence that personality traits are related to EDs in adolescents. Thus, considering personality traits could lead to a better understanding of etiological and maintenance factors for EDs.