Abstract
Background There has been increasing research focus on the relationship between eating disorders and personality types and traits separately. In this pilot study, we present a mixed methods approach to classify individuals with an eating disorder as Overcontrol (OC; anxiousand perfectionistic), Undercontrol (UC; emotionally dysregulated) or resilient (without personality pathology). We then explore the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition, Alternative Model of Personality Disorder trait profiles associated with OC and UC presentations. Methods Twenty individuals (12 women, 2 men, 6 gender-diverse) seeking treatment for eating disorders were classified as OC, UC or resilient based on a structured clinical interview and clinician rating scales supplemented by self-report measures of depression, anxiety and stress. Group differences in DSM-5 alternative model personality traits and eating pathology were examined. Results Twelve individuals were classified as OC, six as resilient, and two as UC. The OC group scored higher than the resilient group on the following DSM-5 alternative model of personality disorder traits: Anhedonia, Depressivity, Emotional Lability, Submissiveness and Separation Insecurity with large effect sizes (Cohen’s d = .0.80–1.84). Conclusions Our research suggests the importance of assessing the public and private nature of problem behaviour within clinical assessment. In addition, our results indicated potential benefit of further research focused on understanding personality types in the context of DSM-5 pathological personality traits.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 227 |
| Number of pages | 15 |
| Journal | Journal of Eating Disorders |
| Volume | 13 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Dec 2025 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© The Author(s) 2025.
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- DSM-5 alternative model
- Eating disorders
- Overcontrol
- Undercontrol
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