Abstract
Athletes are often at a greater risk for disordered eating development due to their perfectionistic tendencies, as well as physical performance- and appearance-related demands of various sports in which they compete. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the possibility of independent contributions of perfectionism and body satisfaction on dieting behaviour among male and female athletes. Two-hundred-eighty (192 male; 88 female) athletes provided their answers on the Eating Attitudes Test 26 (EAT-26), Positive and Negative Perfectionism Scale (PANPS) and modified Body Image Satisfaction Scale from Body Image and Body Change Inventory. No gender or sport type differences were observed in dieting behaviour and body satisfaction was the only significant predictor of dieting for female athletes. Mediation analysis demonstrated that body satisfaction is a mediator between both adaptive and maladaptive perfectionism and dieting. These findings emphasize the important role that body satisfaction has in disordered eating development in female athletes.
Highlights
An upsurge of scientific interest in the area of disordered eating among athletes has been observed, with more qualitative methodologies focusing on how athletes experience this condition [1]
Patterns related to eating disorders might be difficult to detect among some athletes [5], which is a problem because eating disorder consequences are oftentimes far-reaching and could impair metabolism, bone health, cardiovascular health and mental health [6]
Findings in the present study indicate that perfectionism and body satisfaction explain dieting yielded a significant indirect effect
Summary
An upsurge of scientific interest in the area of disordered eating among athletes has been observed, with more qualitative methodologies focusing on how athletes experience this condition [1]. Patterns related to eating disorders might be difficult to detect among some athletes [5], which is a problem because eating disorder consequences are oftentimes far-reaching and could impair metabolism, bone health, cardiovascular health and mental health [6]. A decrease in food intake frequently leads to lower energy availability among athletes, a state that causes hormonal alterations, menstrual irregularities and impaired bone health, which has a negative impact on sport performance as well [7]. Elevated perfectionism is often observed among those with eating disorder symptoms and is considered to be multidimensional [9], consisting of adaptive (or healthy; perfectionistic strivings) and maladaptive (or unhealthy; perfectionistic concerns) facets [9,10].
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