Healthy orthorexia, orthorexia nervosa, and personality traits in a community sample in Turkey

Abstract

Objective: Orthorexia Nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by a rigid preoccupation with a perceived healthy diet. However, little is known about healthy orthorexia and orthorexia nervosa. We aim to examine the relationship between healthy orthorexia and orthorexia nervosa scores and personality traits in a Turkish sample.

Methods: Three hundred fifty participants from a community sample aged 18-65 were included in the study. The participants completed a sociodemographic data collection form, Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Teruel Orthorexia Scale (TOS), and Ten-Item Personality Inventory (TIPI).

Results: The frequency of healthy orthorexia was 32.3%, and orthorexia nervosa was 10.2% in our sample. There were no differences between genders regarding healthy orthorexia and orthorexia nervosa scores. Healthy orthorexia symptoms were negatively correlated with depression and anxiety (r = -.11 and r = -.20, respectively, P < .05) while positively correlated with agreeableness (r = .17), conscientiousness (r = .14), and extraversion (r = .15). Orthorexia nervosa symptoms was positively associated with anxiety (r = .12), depression (r = .10), and healthy orthorexia (r = .55). Hierarchical regression analyses showed that depression is negatively associated with healthy orthorexia symptoms, explaining a 4% variance. The Agreeableness trait was positively associated with healthy orthorexia symptoms and explained a 4% variance. However, regression analyses could not demonstrate a specific association with orthorexia nervosa symptoms.

Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge, the present study is the first to examine the relationships between personality traits, healthy orthorexia, and orthorexia nervosa symptoms in a Turkish sample. Examining specific sociocultural factors is essential to understand orthorexia nervosa and healthy eating behaviors.