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Body-Related Attitudes, Personality, and Identity in Female Adolescents with Anorexia Nervosa or Other Mental Disorders

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  • Melanie Achermann

    (Center of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Clienia Littenheid AG, 9573 Littenheid, Switzerland
    Department of Psychology, University of Fribourg, 1701 Fribourg, Switzerland)

  • Juliane Günther

    (Center of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Clienia Littenheid AG, 9573 Littenheid, Switzerland
    Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Research Department, University Hospital of Psychiatry Basel, University of Basel, 4002 Basel, Switzerland)

  • Kirstin Goth

    (Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Research Department, University Hospital of Psychiatry Basel, University of Basel, 4002 Basel, Switzerland)

  • Klaus Schmeck

    (Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Research Department, University Hospital of Psychiatry Basel, University of Basel, 4002 Basel, Switzerland)

  • Simone Munsch

    (Department of Psychology, University of Fribourg, 1701 Fribourg, Switzerland)

  • Lars Wöckel

    (Center of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Clienia Littenheid AG, 9573 Littenheid, Switzerland
    Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Research Department, University Hospital of Psychiatry Basel, University of Basel, 4002 Basel, Switzerland)

Abstract

The psychological integration of body-related attitudes (BodyRA) is a critical developmental task in adolescence. Adolescents must adapt to their changing body image and body satisfaction. For young people, BodyRA (body dissatisfaction, bulimia, and drive for thinness) are connected to insecurities, which can disturb identity integration and personality development. Our goal was to evaluate the importance of BodyRA also for other mental disorders other than anorexia nervosa (AN), and the association between BodyRA with temperament and personality traits and identity diffusion. Data for the period of 2012 to 2019 were retrospectively analyzed from a convenience sample of patients in a child and adolescent psychiatric hospital ( n = 114). The patients were 13 to 17 years of age and had a BMI of 11.9–36.1 kg/m 2 . As expected, BodyRA were found to be more pronounced in AN, as well as in borderline personality disorder (BPD), depression (DD), and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). BodyRA correlated significantly with internalizing problems in patients with DD ( r = 0.428–0.565, p < 0.01) and BPD ( r = 0.680, p < 0.01) as well as with BMI ( r = 0.404, p < 0.01) in patients with DD. Moreover, we detected significant correlations with impaired identity development in patients with DD ( r = 0.482–0.565, p < 0.01) and BPD ( r = 0.681–0.703, p < 0.01). BodyRA also correlated significantly with the personality traits of harm avoidance ( r = 0.377–0.541, p < 0.01) and self-directedness ( r = −0.537–−0.635, p < 0.01) in DD. These personality traits and bulimia were used as predictors for identity diffusion in the investigated disorders of this study. We conclude that BodyRA, harm avoidance and self-directedness are associated with identity development in adolescent females with mental disorders.

Suggested Citation

  • Melanie Achermann & Juliane Günther & Kirstin Goth & Klaus Schmeck & Simone Munsch & Lars Wöckel, 2022. "Body-Related Attitudes, Personality, and Identity in Female Adolescents with Anorexia Nervosa or Other Mental Disorders," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(7), pages 1-16, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:7:p:4316-:d:786684
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    1. Daise Fernanda Santos Souza Escobar & Thais Ferreira de Jesus & Priscilla Rayanne e Silva Noll & Matias Noll, 2020. "Family and School Context: Effects on the Mental Health of Brazilian Students," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(17), pages 1-13, August.
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