Exercise Addiction, Muscle and Weight Satisfaction, and Disordered Eating as Predictors of Overtraining in Male Bodybuilders

AbstractExercise addiction (EA) affects a considerable number of individuals who regularly perform exercise-sport activities. The co-occurrence of EA manifestations and the continuum of disordered eating-eating disorders (EDs) is so common in sports that a deeper understanding of them as comorbidities is warranted. The aim of this review is to provide an up-to-date overview and synthesis of the research on the relationship between maladaptive exercise and dysfunctional eating in the sport context. A systematic review was conducted following the PRISMA guidelines. A total of 22 empirical studies (23 articles) with young and adult female and male athletes from several sports and competition levels was included. EA in conjunction with eating disturbances is frequent among athletes, yet the prevalence rates are inconsistent. Existing evidence suggests that EA is a relevant outcome of ED pathology among athletes, supporting the classical secondary type of EA. However, research also reveals that excessive exercising plays a central role in the psychopathology of disordered eating. There is a need for further quantitative research addressing the features and correlates of the EA-EDs dyad, qualitative research on the subjective experiences of athletes with disordered exercise and eating, longitudinal and experimental research to establish possible causal paths and attempts to develop comprehensive conceptual models of EA and its co-occurrence with EDs, in order to improve the identification, prevention, and management of this dyadic condition in the sport context.

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Prevalence of Exercise Addiction Symptomology and Disordered Eating in Australian Students Studying Nutrition and Dietetics

Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics ◽

10.1016/j.jand.2017.04.001 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 117 (10) ◽

pp. 1628-1636 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Tetyana Rocks ◽

Fiona Pelly ◽

Gary Slater ◽

Lisa Anne Martin

Keyword(s):

Disordered Eating ◽

Exercise Addiction ◽

Nutrition And Dietetics

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Is problematic exercise really problematic? A dimensional approach

CNS Spectrums ◽

10.1017/s1092852919000762 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 25 (1) ◽

pp. 64-70

Author(s):

Samuel R. Chamberlain ◽

Jon E. Grant

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Disordered Eating ◽

Online Survey ◽

Emotional Dysregulation ◽

Relationship Conflict ◽

General Factor ◽

Moderate Exercise ◽

Factor Scores ◽

Exercise Addiction

Objective:Though moderate exercise has numerous health benefits, some individuals may become excessively preoccupied with exercise, endorsing features akin to “addiction.” The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationships between problematic exercise (viewed dimensionally), quality of life, and psychological measures.Methods:Young adults were recruited from an established population-based cohort in the United Kingdom and completed an online survey. The factor structure of the Exercise Addiction Inventory (EAI) was characterized. Relationships between dimensional EAI factor scores and other variables (impulsivity, compulsivity, emotional dysregulation) were elicited.Results:Six hundred and forty-two individuals took part in the study (mean age 23.4 years, 64.7% female). The EAI yielded two factors – a “general factor” and a “relationship conflict factor.” Both EAI factor scores were associated with disordered eating, impulsivity (UPPS), and compulsivity (CHI-T). Only the relationship conflict factor score was significantly associated with impaired quality of life (all domains) and with maladaptive personality traits (emotional dysregulation and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder traits). Few participants met conventional threshold for full exercise addiction (1.1%).Conclusion:Higher problematic exercise scores, in a sample largely free from exercise addiction, were associated with impulsive and compulsive personality features, emotional dysregulation, and disordered eating. Further research is needed to examine whether these results generalize to other populations (such as gym attendees) and are evident using more rigorous in-person clinical assessment rather than online assessment. Longitudinal research is needed to examine both positive and negative impacts of exercise, since moderate exercise may, in fact, be useful for those with impulsive/compulsive tendencies, by dampening negative emotional states or substituting for other more damaging types of repetitive habit.

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Differential Item Functioning in Brief Instruments of Disordered Eating

European Journal of Psychological Assessment ◽

10.1027/1015-5759/a000472 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 35 (6) ◽

pp. 823-833 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Desiree Thielemann ◽

Felicitas Richter ◽

Bernd Strauss ◽

Elmar Braehler ◽

Uwe Altmann ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Differential Item Functioning ◽

Disordered Eating ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Young Female ◽

Eating Attitudes ◽

Equation Model ◽

German Population ◽

Test Fairness ◽

Item Functioning ◽

Multiple Indicator

Abstract. Most instruments for the assessment of disordered eating were developed and validated in young female samples. However, they are often used in heterogeneous general population samples. Therefore, brief instruments of disordered eating should assess the severity of disordered eating equally well between individuals with different gender, age, body mass index (BMI), and socioeconomic status (SES). Differential item functioning (DIF) of two brief instruments of disordered eating (SCOFF, Eating Attitudes Test [EAT-8]) was modeled in a representative sample of the German population ( N = 2,527) using a multigroup item response theory (IRT) and a multiple-indicator multiple-cause (MIMIC) structural equation model (SEM) approach. No DIF by age was found in both questionnaires. Three items of the EAT-8 showed DIF across gender, indicating that females are more likely to agree than males, given the same severity of disordered eating. One item of the EAT-8 revealed slight DIF by BMI. DIF with respect to the SCOFF seemed to be negligible. Both questionnaires are equally fair across people with different age and SES. The DIF by gender that we found with respect to the EAT-8 as screening instrument may be also reflected in the use of different cutoff values for men and women. In general, both brief instruments assessing disordered eating revealed their strengths and limitations concerning test fairness for different groups.

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