Personality Subtypes in Eating Disorders: Validation of a Classification in a Naturalistic Sample

Overview

Journal Br J Psychiatry

Publisher Cambridge University Press

Specialty Psychiatry

Date 2005 Jun 2

PMID 15928363

Citations 22

Authors

Heather Thompson-Brenner

Drew Westen

Affiliations

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Abstract

Background: Research has identified three personality subtypes in patients with eating disorders: emotionally dysregulated, constricted and high-functioning/perfectionistic.

Aims: To see whether the subtypes are distinguished in ways indicative of valid classification, notably in patterns of adaptive functioning, comorbidity, treatment response and therapeutic interventions.

Method: A random sample of experienced clinicians provided data on 145 patients with bulimic symptoms, including data on eating disorder symptoms, DSM-IV comorbidity, personality pathology, treatment response and treatment interventions.

Results: Patients categorised as dysregulated had the poorest functioning, most comorbidity and worst outcome, followed by patients in the constricted and high-functioning groups. The three subtypes elicited different therapeutic interventions and accounted for substantial incremental variance in outcome, holding constant the severity of eating disorder symptoms and presence of other Axis I disorders.

Conclusions: The data provide accumulating evidence for the validity of three personality subtypes in patients with eating disorders.

Citing Articles

Using the alternative model of personality disorders for DSM-5 traits to identify personality types, and the relationship with disordered eating, depression, anxiety and stress.

Gilmartin T, Gurvich C, Dipnall J, Sharp G J Eat Disord. 2025; 13(1):19.

PMID: 39920876 PMC: 11806802. DOI: 10.1186/s40337-025-01204-2.

Do empirically-derived personality subtypes relate to cognitive inflexibility in anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa?.

Schaefer L, Forester G, Dougherty E, Bottera A, Forbes E, Wildes J J Eat Disord. 2024; 12(1):212.

PMID: 39719655 PMC: 11667925. DOI: 10.1186/s40337-024-01169-8.

Identifying overcontrol and undercontrol personality types among young people using the five factor model, and the relationship with disordered eating behaviour, anxiety and depression.

Gilmartin T, Dipnall J, Gurvich C, Sharp G J Eat Disord. 2024; 12(1):16.

PMID: 38267972 PMC: 10809654. DOI: 10.1186/s40337-024-00967-4.

Five-Factor Model and DSM-5 Alternative Model of Personality Disorder Profile Construction: Associations with Cognitive Ability and Clinical Symptoms.

Lau C, Bagby R, Pollock B, Quilty L J Intell. 2023; 11(4).

PMID: 37103256 PMC: 10144161. DOI: 10.3390/jintelligence11040071.

One size does not fit all: Exploring how the five-factor model facets predict disordered eating behaviours among adolescent and young adult males and females.

Gilmartin T, Gurvich C, Dipnall J, Sharp G Br J Psychol. 2022; 114(1):132-158.

PMID: 36183174 PMC: 10092835. DOI: 10.1111/bjop.12601.