Disordered eating in adolescent males and females: Associations with temperament, emotional and behavioral problems and perceived self-competence

The purpose of this study was to describe similarities and differences for adolescent males and females in the association between disordered eating and temperament, emotional and behavioral problems and perceived self-competence. The study sample consisted of 239 youngsters (47% males), aged 14–20 years. Drive for Thinness (DT), Bulimia (B) and Body Dissatisfaction (BD) were associated with eating disorder (ED) related traits, depression and negative perceived self-competence in both sexes. Further, Bulimia was significantly related with aggressive symptoms in both sexes. Additionally, gender differences with respect to the correlations between DT and B and temperament emerged. DT was more strongly associated with a low behavioral activation (BAS) in males (compared to females), whereas B was more strongly related with low effortful control in females (compared to males). These findings confirm and extend previous research concerning gender differences in disordered eating.