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Subclinical eating disorders in male athletes
Author(s) -
Thiel A.,
Gottfried H.,
Hesse F. W.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
acta psychiatrica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.849
H-Index - 146
eISSN - 1600-0447
pISSN - 0001-690X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0447.1993.tb03454.x
Subject(s) - subclinical infection , athletes , eating disorders , population , disordered eating , psychogenic disease , eating disorder inventory , psychology , medicine , psychiatry , clinical psychology , physical therapy , bulimia nervosa , environmental health
This study investigated the possibility that male athletes who, owing to the rules of their sport, are pressured to maintain a low weight show an elevated prevalence of subclinical eating disorders. Twenty‐five wrestlers and 59 rowers in the lower weight categories were investigated using the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI). Fifty‐two percent of the athletes reported the occurrence of binging. The EDI profiles of 11% of the athletes suggested the presence of a subclinical eating disorder. These figures are clearly elevated compared with the normal male population. Low‐weight wrestlers and rowers should be considered a high‐risk male population for subclinical eating disorders. These findings are comparable to high‐risk groups consisting mainly of women (such as ballet and modelling students). The causal relationship between the specific sport and the development of a psychogenic eating disorder is discussed.