Connecting a health-focused self-concept with orthorexia nervosa symptoms via fear of losing control over eating unhealthy food and disgust for unhealthy food

Purpose: Orthorexia nervosa (ON) involves a maladaptive preoccupation with healthy eating through strict dietary rules that negatively affect physical and mental health. Recent evidence suggests that ON symptoms may stem, in part, from having a health-focused self-concept (i.e., overvaluing the importance of health for self-definition and self-worth). Herein, fear of losing control over eating unhealthy foods and disgust for unhealthy foods were examined as potential mediators of the association between health-focused self-concept and ON symptoms.

Methods: The parallel mediation model was tested using a community sample of people who believe they are currently following a healthy eating diet plan and/or believe they are leading a healthy eating lifestyle (N = 442). Participants were recruited from Amazon's Mechanical Turk and completed a questionnaire battery that included the Health-Focused Self-Concept Scale, questionnaires assessing fear of losing control over eating unhealthy food and disgust with unhealthy food, and the Orthorexia Nervosa Inventory.

Results: As expected, a health-focused self-concept was indirectly and positively associated with ON symptoms via fear and disgust.

Conclusion: The findings conceptually replicate and extend prior research on anorexia nervosa supporting the transdiagnostic utility of a focused self-concept, fear of losing control, and disgust across eating disorders.

Level of evidence: Level V, cross-sectional descriptive study.