Perfectionism and eating behaviour in Portuguese adolescents

Objectives: The main objective was to investigate the association between perfectionism and eating behaviour in a non-clinical sample of adolescents of both genders. Method: 997 middle and high school students completed the Portuguese versions of the child-adolescent perfectionism scale (CAPS) and of the eating attitudes test-25 (EAT-25). Results: In both genders, the perfectionism total score and the sociallyprescribed perfectionism (SPP) score were positive and significantly correlated with the EAT total score and with all EAT dimensions: Drive for Thinness (DT), Bulimic Related Behaviour (BRB), Social Pressure to Eat (SPE). In girls, self-oriented perfectionism (SOP) was also associated with the EAT total score and its dimensions, whereas in boys it was only associated with EAT total score and DT. In both genders SPP was a useful predictor of the EAT-25 total score and of all its dimensions. In which respects SOP, there were some gender differences showing that in boys this dimension should not be considered a predictor of eating behaviours. Conclusion: These results confirm that high levels of perfectionism (SOP and SPP) are associated with abnormal eating behaviour in both genders.