Personality and dimensions of dietary restraint.

Abstract

Given that dietary restraint and associated dietary behavior may predispose individuals to frank eating disorders, and that differences in personality profiles have been observed across subtypes of eating disorders, we sought to address whether aspects of restrained eating (cognitive restraint, disinhibition, and susceptibility to hunger) could be distinguished using the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI). One hundred and one women aged 18-45 selected at random from the community completed the Diagnostic Interview for Genetic Studies (DIGS), the TCI, and the Three Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ). Novelty seeking (NS) was significantly positively correlated with disinhibition. Self-directedness (SD) was negatively correlated with the total TFEQ score, disinhibition, and susceptibility to hunger. Self-transcendence (ST) correlated positively with total TFEQ score and cognitive restraint. These findings suggest that individuals with character traits denoting low SD and high ST may be particularly reactive and susceptible to societal messages pertaining to the ideology of slenderness.