What does gender have to do with it? Associations between gender-linked personality traits and eating pathology

Citation

Hazzard, Vivienne M. & Sonneville, Kendrin R. (2017). What does gender have to do with it? Associations between gender-linked personality traits and eating pathology. International Conference on Eating Disorders. Prague, Czech Republic.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine relationships between gender-linked personality traits (instrumentality and expressivity) and eating pathology, as well as to investigate depressive symptoms as a potential mechanism to explain such relationships. Data for this study were collected in Wave III of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) from a subsample of respondents (n=3,737) who completed the short form Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI). Using median split scoring for instrumental (“masculine”) and expressive (“feminine”) trait scales as measured by the BSRI, respondents were categorized as undifferentiated (low in both), masculine (high instrumentality), feminine (high expressivity), or androgynous (high in both). Self-reported outcomes assessed were disinhibited eating (overeating and/or loss of control eating), purging (vomiting and/or using laxatives) to control weight, and lifetime eating disorder (ED) diagnosis. Depressive symptoms were assessed by nine questions from the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Sex-stratified logistic regression analyses were run, accounting for survey design and adjusting for age, race/ethnicity, income, and parental education. In young adulthood (mean age=22.5 years, SD=0.12), prevalence of disinhibited eating was 8.7% in females and 5.9% in males, prevalence of purging was 0.9% in females and 0.0% in males, and prevalence of lifetime ED diagnosis was 4.5% in females and 0.2% in males. Compared to females categorized as undifferentiated, females categorized as masculine had lower odds of disinhibited eating (OR: 0.36; 95% CI: 0.15, 0.85), and females categorized as androgynous had lower odds of having ever been diagnosed with an ED (OR: 0.38; 95% CI: 0.15, 0.99). After adjusting for depressive symptoms, the association between masculinity and disinhibited eating remained significant, but the association between androgyny and ED diagnosis did not.

Reference Type

Conference proceeding

Book Title

International Conference on Eating Disorders

Author(s)

Hazzard, Vivienne M.
Sonneville, Kendrin R.

Year Published

2017

City of Publication

Prague, Czech Republic

Reference ID

7044