z-logo
Premium
Orthorexia nervosa is associated with positive body image and life satisfaction in Chinese elderly: Evidence for a positive psychology perspective
Author(s) -
He Jinbo,
Zhao Yiqing,
Zhang Hengyue,
Lin Zhicheng
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
international journal of eating disorders
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.785
H-Index - 138
eISSN - 1098-108X
pISSN - 0276-3478
DOI - 10.1002/eat.23400
Subject(s) - psychology , psychosocial , distress , perspective (graphical) , clinical psychology , quality of life (healthcare) , body dysmorphic disorder , eating disorders , disordered eating , life satisfaction , mental health , psychiatry , psychotherapist , artificial intelligence , computer science
Objective Obsessive attention to healthy eating might paradoxically lead to physical and psychosocial impairments, a potential eating disorder termed orthorexia nervosa (ON). An ongoing debate concerns whether ON should be categorized as an eating disorder, an obsessive–compulsive disorder, or a mental disorder at all. A missing voice in this debate is ON in the elderly, which remains unknown, despite health being a more central issue in everyday life during old age. Similarly missing is ON in East Asia, which remains largely unexplored. Method The current study investigated ON in 313 Chinese elderly ( M = 67.90, SD = 7.94) using the Chinese version of the Düsseldorf Orthorexia Scale (C‐DOS). Questionnaires were used to measure traditional eating disorder symptomatology, body image (body dissatisfaction, body appreciation, and functionality appreciation), lifestyle behaviors (fruit and vegetable consumption and time spent on physical activity), and indexes of well‐being (psychological distress, food‐related quality of life, and life satisfaction). Results ON symptoms were positively related to physical activity, fruit and vegetable (F&V) consumption, body appreciation, functionality appreciation, and life satisfaction, but negatively related to body dissatisfaction. Compared with those without ON, the elderly with ON scored higher on positive psychological/lifestyle measures but lower on negative psychological measures. Discussion Contrary to the dominant characterization of ON as a variant of disordered eating, in Chinese elderly ON was associated with several positive lifestyle and psychological measures. Thus, ON in the elderly might not be viewed as a form of disordered eating but can be protective and beneficial.

This content is not available in your region!

Continue researching here.

Having issues? You can contact us here