Síndrome de Edorexiaevaluación y correlatos

Résumé

OBJECTIVES: Eating disorders are common in modern society. From an interdisciplinary perspective, Edorexia syndrome is seen as a mental disorder which causes an excessive and uncontrollable appetite. For this reason, the objectives of this research have been to (1) develop diagnostic criteria for the Edorexia syndrome, (2) analyse the psychological factors that influence eating behaviours and (3) study the relationship between Edorexia syndrome and physical activity. METHODOLOGY: The sample used for this study included 111 participants, of which 29 suffered from Edorexia syndrome and the remaining participants were healthy adults. 93.1% of the edorexic participants were women, whereas only 82.9% of the control group were women. The average age of the edorexic group was 23.79 years old (SD 7.18), whereas the average age of the healthy participants was 21.07 (SD 4.34). RESULTS: In the evaluation of the Edorexia Syndrome Questionnaire, there was a high level of internal consistency with a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 98%. In the section on personality, they received lower scores for Emotional Control and Emotional Instability. In terms of confrontation styles, they obtained lower scores for Positive Reevaluation and higher scores for Acceptance/Resignation. In terms of eating behaviours, they showed signs of consuming more food when it was not necessary and also depriving themselves of food. CONCLUSION: Edorexia syndrome may be seen as an adaptive response to a threatening situation. It involves the inhibition and disinhibition of food consumption. Furthermore, the lack of emotional control plays a fundamental role as this causes sufferers to look for food. Key words: Eating Disorders. Obesity. Appetite. Personality. Coping styles. Physical activity. Edorexia.