A network analysis of disordered eating symptoms, big-five personality traits, and psychological distress in Chinese adults

Guangsheng Liang; Yawei Cheng; Wesley R Barnhart; Jianwen Song; Tom Lu; Jinbo He

doi:10.1002/eat.24012

A network analysis of disordered eating symptoms, big-five personality traits, and psychological distress in Chinese adults

Int J Eat Disord. 2023 Oct;56(10):1842-1853. doi: 10.1002/eat.24012. Epub 2023 Jun 20.

Authors

Guangsheng Liang¹, Yawei Cheng², Wesley R Barnhart³, Jianwen Song⁴, Tom Lu², Jinbo He⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas, USA.
² Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas, USA.
³ Department of Psychology, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio, USA.
⁴ Department of Educational Psychology, Baylor University, Waco, Texas, USA.
⁵ School of Humanities and Social Science, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Guangdong, People's Republic of China.

PMID: 37337937
DOI: 10.1002/eat.24012

Abstract

Objective: Previous studies have revealed associations between disordered eating symptoms, big-five personality traits, and psychological distress. However, limited research has explored these relationships as a network, including their interconnections, and even less has done so in non-Western populations. We employed network analysis to investigate the co-occurrence of disordered eating symptoms, big-five personality traits, and psychological distress in Chinese adults.

Method: A sample of 500 Chinese adults (256 men) completed measures assessing big-five personality traits, psychological distress, and disordered eating symptoms. The network of personality traits, psychological distress, and disordered eating symptoms was estimated, including its central and bridge nodes.

Results: The central nodes in the network were the facets of openness (like adventure), extraversion (like going to social and recreational parties), and disordered eating symptoms (dissatisfaction with body weight or shape). Moreover, certain facets of neuroticism (always worrying something bad will happen), psychological distress (feeling worthless), and an inverse facet of extraversion (bored by parties with lots of people) were identified as essential bridge nodes in maintaining the structure of the network.

Conclusion: Our findings suggest that personality traits (e.g., openness and extraversion) and body dissatisfaction are important in maintaining the network in a community sample of Chinese adults. While future replication is needed, findings from this study suggest that individuals with negative self-thinking, predisposed neuroticism, and extraversion may be at risk of developing disordered eating symptoms.

Public significance: The present study contributes to existing knowledge by employing a network perspective to examine the associations between disordered eating symptoms, big-five personality traits, and psychological distress in a Chinese adult community sample. The identified facets of neuroticism and extraversion and symptoms of psychological distress may be worthy of targeting in the prevention and treatment of disordered eating in the Chinese context.

Keywords: big-five personality traits; disordered eating; eating disorders; network analysis; psychological distress.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adult
Emotions
Feeding and Eating Disorders* / diagnosis
Humans
Male
Neuroticism
Personality
Personality Inventory
Psychological Distress*