The prevalence and related factors of eating disorders and eating attitudes among Balikesir university students

Abstract

Objective: Eating disorders are classified as psychiatric diseases that include deterioration in eating behaviors and attitudes and has negative effects on the physical and mental health of the individual.The main objective of the study is to elaborate the psychosocial and psychopathological factors related to eating disorders among university students. Methods: We have enrolled 199 female and 201 male volunteer students at Balıkesir University Faculty of Medicine. Participants were evaluated with a semi-structured questionnaire prepared by our institution regarding clinical experience and available information sources and according to DSM-V diagnostic criteria. Eating Attitude Scale, Ortho-15 Scale, Maudsley Obsessive Compulsive Question List, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and Body Perception Scale were administered to all participants. Individuals with previously known or concomitant dementia, delirium, mental retardation, psychotic disorder diagnosis, depression with psychotic symptoms, and bipolar depression were not included in the study. Results: The OCD sub-dimension and cleaning sub-dimension differed significantly according to the gender variable (p<0.05). The body image mean scores were significantly different in terms of the psychiatric diagnosis variable (p<0.05). Participants with psychiatric diagnosis had significantly higher obsessive compulsive disorder suspicion and rumination dimensions and body dissatisfaction scores. When the chronic disease variable was analyzed with the variables of eating attitudes, self-esteem, OCD symptoms and body image, it was found that the eating attitude differed significantly compared to the chronic disease variable (p<0.05). In addition, ortho-cognitive (p<0.05) and ortho-clinical (p<0.05) mean scores were found to differ significantly. The eating attitude scores were higher in people with chronic diseases. Conclusion: This research showed that eating attitudes changed with sociodemographic characteristics and was correlated with obsessive compulsive disorder symptoms, body image and self-esteem. In this study we found that eating attitudes of university students had a significant relationship with psychopathological and psychosocial factors; such as obsessive compulsive disorder symptoms, body image and self-esteem.