The connection between exercise addiction and orthorexia nervosa in German fitness sports

Author(s):  
Sabrina Rudolph
Author(s):  
Yana Zemlyanskaya ◽  
Martina Valente ◽  
Elena V. Syurina

AbstractThis mixed-methods study explored the conversation around orthorexia nervosa (ON) on Instagram from a Russian-speaking perspective. Two quantitative data sources were implemented; a comparative content analysis of posts tagged with #opтopeкcия (n = 234) and #orthorexia (n = 243), and an online questionnaire completed by Russian-speakers (n = 96) sharing ON-related content on Instagram. Additionally, five questionnaire participants were interviewed, four of which identified with having (had) ON. Russian-speakers who share ON-related content on Instagram are primarily female, around their late-twenties, and prefer Instagram over other platforms. They describe people with ON as obsessed with correct eating, rather than healthy or clean eating. Instagram appears to have a dual effect; it has the potential to both trigger the onset of ON and encourage recovery. Positive content encourages a healthy relationship with food, promotes intuitive eating, and spread recovery advice. Harmful content, in turn, emphasizes specific diet and beauty ideals. Russian-speaking users mainly post pictures of food, followed by largely informative text that explains what ON is, and what recovery may look like. Their reasons for posting ON-related content are to share personal experiences, support others in recovery, and raise awareness about ON. Two main target audiences were people unaware of ON and people seeking recovery support. The relationship between ON and social media is not strictly limited to the global north. Thus, it may be valuable to further investigate non-English-speaking populations currently underrepresented in ON research.Level of evidence: Level V, descriptive study.


Author(s):  
J. González-Hernández ◽  
R. Baños ◽  
R. Morquecho-Sánchez ◽  
H. A. Pineda-Espejel ◽  
J. L. Chamorro

AbstractThe present work tries to describe the relationships among perfectionism, dark traits of personality, and exercise addiction and according to highly intense sports. Following research on perfectionism in sport, its dysfunctional facet is based on a continuous and negative cognitive-evaluative judgement about the difficulties to achieve the accomplishment of tasks or behaviors that improve their sport performance, describing how athletes configure altered thoughts or cognitive resources in their sport experiences. The Spanish versions of the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale, the Short Dark Triad Scale, and the Exercise Addiction Inventory were applied in a sample of 462 Spanish amateur athletes (39.6% women and 60.4% men). The findings show that a more maladaptive perfectionist pattern (concern over mistakes and external criticism) is related to higher levels of dark personality traits and a greater risk of exercise addiction. However, there are no differences between runners and CrossFit users on the subject of perfectionism, dark traits, and exercise addiction scores.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 144-155 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gizem Çakın ◽  
Ignatius Darma Juwono ◽  
Marc N. Potenza ◽  
Attila Szabo

Abstract Background and aims Exercise addiction may be conceptualized as a behavioral addiction in which a person develops an unhealthy obsession with exercise and physical activity. While exercise addiction is not a formally recognized disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual or the International Classification of Diseases, it has been studied and connected to both personal and situational factors. Perfectionism is a feature that has been strongly linked to exercise addiction. The objective of this systematic literature review, performed by following the PRISMA protocol, was to examine relationships between exercise addiction and perfectionism while also considering the subdimensions of perfectionism in different groups. Methods Three databases (PsycINFO, PubMed/Medline, and SPORTDiscus) were examined. Sixty relevant articles were identified, of which 22 met inclusion criteria. Results The findings substantiate that perfectionism and its dimensions are weakly or moderately related to exercise addiction. This relationship has been observed in adults, adolescents, athletes, and patients with eating disorders. Of the 22 studies examined, only one did not identify an association between perfectionism or its subdomain(s) and exercise addiction. However, in most studies, the common variance between perfectionism and exercise addiction is relatively small, raising questions regarding the clinical relevance of the relationship. Conclusion Perfectionism is related to exercise addiction, but the strength of the relationship varies in different circumstances, which should be examined in future research.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Novara ◽  
E. Maggio ◽  
S. Piasentin ◽  
S. Pardini ◽  
S. Mattioli

Abstract Background Orthorexia Nervosa (ON) is a construct characterized by behaviors, emotions, and beliefs on eating healthy food and excessive attention to diet; moreover, dieting has been considered a risk factor in ON symptoms development. The principal aim of this study was to investigate the differences in clinical and non-clinical groups most at risk of ON. Aspects that could be associated with ON (Eating Disorders [EDs], obsessive-compulsive symptomatology, perfectionistic traits, anxiety, depression, Body Mass Index [BMI]) were investigated in all groups. Methods The sample consisted of 329 adults belonging to four different groups. Three were on a diet: Anorexia/Bulimia Nervosa group (N = 90), Obesity/Binge Eating Disorder group (N = 54), Diet group (N = 91). The Control group consisted of people who were not following a diet (N = 94). Participants completed several self-administered questionnaires (EHQ-21, EDI-3, OCI-R, MPS, BAI, BDI-II) to assess ON-related features in different groups. Results Analyses highlighted higher orthorexic tendencies in Anorexia/Bulimia Nervosa, Obesity/BED, and Diet groups than in the Control group. Moreover, results have shown that in the AN/BN group, eating disorders symptomatology and a lower BMI were related to ON and that in Obesity/Binge Eating Disorder and Diet groups, perfectionism traits are associated with ON. Conclusion Individuals who pursue a diet share some similarities with those who have an eating disorder regarding emotions, behaviors, and problems associated with orthorexic tendencies. Moreover, perfectionistic traits seem to predispose to higher ON tendencies. In general, these results confirm the ON as an aspect of the main eating disorders category.


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