In double trouble for eating pathology? An experimental study on the combined role of perfectionism and body dissatisfaction.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES A number of correlational studies suggest that the combined presence of perfectionism and body dissatisfaction creates elevated risk for the development of eating disorder pathology. The aim of this study was to examine the causal role of this combination of risk factors for eating pathology. METHOD We conducted an experimental study in a sample of female college students (N = 47). Specifically, we performed an experimental manipulation of perfectionism and examined whether this manipulation would interact with body dissatisfaction to predict eating disorder symptoms. RESULTS We found that the effect of the experimental manipulation was moderated by body dissatisfaction, such that women in the perfectionism condition and scoring high on body dissatisfaction exhibited the highest levels of eating disorder symptoms. LIMITATIONS The sample was rather small (resulting in limited statistical power) and the participants were predominantly healthy and well-adjusted women, which may limit the generalizability and interpretation of our findings. CONCLUSIONS The results suggest that the combination of perfectionism and body dissatisfaction is particularly detrimental and predictive of risk for eating disorder symptoms.