Relationships between personality traits and disordered eating among Chinese female exercisers: the role of symptoms of exercise dependence and obsessive-compulsiveness

Abstract

Background Although numerous studies have examined associations between personality traits and eating disorders in females, few studies have been conducted on female exercisers. Given the high risk of disordered eating in female exercisers, this study investigated the associations between the Big Five personality traits and disordered eating in female exercisers, and further explored the potential mediators, namely exercise dependence symptoms, and obsessive–compulsive symptoms underlying this association. Methods A total of 295 female exercisers aged between 18 to 67 years (M = 22.11, SD = 6.65) participated in this study. Results Negative and statistically significant correlations between conscientiousness (r = − 0.17, p < 0.01), emotional stability (r = − 0.27, p < 0.001) and agreeableness (r = − 0.18, p < 0.01) and disordered eating were observed in our sample of female exercisers. The multiple mediation analyses revealed that exercise dependence symptoms and obsessive–compulsive symptoms mediate the relationship between conscientiousness (β = 0.016, CI = [0.003, 0.031]), emotional stability (β = -0.012, CI = [− 0.028, − 0.002]), and disordered eating in female exercisers, whereas obsessive–compulsive symptoms (β = − 0.041, CI = [− 0.088, − 0.001]) but not exercise dependence symptoms are a mediator of the relationship between agreeableness and disordered eating. Conclusions Our findings can be used to improve the screening procedures for eating disorders in female exercisers as they contribute to a better understanding of the psychological mechanisms that underlie the associations between the Big Five personality traits and disordered eating.

Mapping the terrain: a scoping review of empirical studies on the big five personality traits and QoL in China

“…Despite these insights, several gaps in the literature warrant further attention. For example, there's a need for more nuanced investigations into how Big Five traits interact with occupational stressors (Zhou et al, 2017;Hao R. et al, 2023;, mainly in some specific professions (Wang et al, 2022a,b;Yang H. et al, 2022;Yang P. Y. et al, 2022;Yang et al, 2023). The role of social and environmental factors as either mediators or moderators in these relationships is also underexplored (Czerwiński and Atroszko, 2020).…”

“…The present scoping review is subject to several limitations that must be acknowledged for a comprehensive understanding of its findings. First, the review is confined to studies conducted within the Chinese population, potentially limiting the generalizability of the findings to other cultural (Yang H. et al, 2022;Yang P. Y. et al, 2022) or ethnic groups (Meléndez et al, 2019). Second, the review primarily relies on studies employing self-report questionnaires for the assessment of Big Five personality traits and QoL.…”

The Expanded Exercise Addiction Inventory (EAI-3): Towards Reliable and International Screening of Exercise-Related Dysfunction

“…Exercise addiction can be classified as primary or secondary. In primary EA, the reward is the fulfillment of the exercise, while in secondary EA, exercise is a means of achieving another goal (Weinstein & Szabo, 2023 ; Yang et al, 2022 ). For example, excessive uncontrolled exercise co-occurs with eating or body-image disorders as an emotion regulation strategy related to body shape and weight control (Kun et al, 2022 ).…”