Associations Between Social Appearance Anxiety, Disordered Eating Attitudes, and Orthorexia Nervosa: A Cross-Sectional Study.

OBJECTIVE

Disordered eating attitudes and orthorexia nervosa (ON) represent important public health concerns. Social appearance anxiety may constitute a key psychological factor underlying these patterns. This study aimed to examine social appearance anxiety as associated with disordered eating attitudes and ON in a large adult sample.

METHOD: This cross-sectional study was conducted using an online questionnaire. A total of 827 adults (614 female [74.2%] and 213 male [25.8%]) were included in this study, with a mean age of 30.1 ± 7.6 years. Data were collected using the Eating Attitudes Test-26 (EAT-26), the Orthorexia Nervosa Inventory (ONI), and the Social Appearance Anxiety Scale (SAAS). Group comparisons were performed using independent samples t-tests and one-way analysis of variance, and linear regression analyses were conducted to assess the predictive role of social appearance anxiety.

RESULTS

Social appearance anxiety scores were significantly higher among females, single individuals, and participants with lower physical activity levels (p < 0.05). Participants at risk for disordered eating and those with higher ON tendencies exhibited significantly elevated SAAS scores (p < 0.01). Linear regression analyses indicated that social appearance anxiety was independently associated with both disordered eating attitudes and orthorexia nervosa after adjustment for sociodemographic variables (p < 0.001).

DISCUSSION: Social appearance anxiety appears to be a significant psychological factor associated with both disordered eating attitudes and ON. These findings underscore the importance of addressing appearance-related concerns in the prevention and management of maladaptive eating behaviors.