Abbott, W, Brett, A, Brownlee, T, Hammond, KM, Harper, LD, Naughton, RJ, Anderson, L, Munson, EH, Sharkey, JV, Randall, RK and Clifford, T (2020) The prevalence of disordered eating in elite male and female soccer players. Eating and Weight Disorders: studies on anorexia, bulimia and obesity, 26. pp. 491-498. ISSN 1124-4909

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Abstract

Purpose To examine the prevalence of disordered eating (DE) in elite male and female soccer players and the influence of perfectionism. Methods Using a cross-sectional design, elite male (n = 137) and female (n = 70) soccer players and non-athlete controls (n = 179) completed the clinical perfectionism questionnaire (CPQ-12) and the eating attitudes test (EAT-26) to assess perfectionism and DE risk, respectively. Results Male soccer players had higher EAT-26 scores than controls (10.4 ± 9.9 vs. 6.8 ± 6.7; P=0.001) but there were no differences in the prevalence of clinical levels of DE (EAT-26 score ≥20) (15 vs. 5%, respectively; X2 = 0.079) The proportion of females with DE risk was higher in controls (EAT-26: 13.9 ± 11.6 (25% of population)) than female players (EAT-26: 10.0 ± 9.0% (11% of population)) (X2 = 0.001). With linear regression, perfectionism explained 20% of the variation in DE risk in males (P=0.001); in females, athletic status (player vs. control) and perfectionism were significant predictors of DE risk, explaining 21% of the variation (P=0.001). Male reserve team players had higher EAT-26 (+3.5) and perfectionism (+2.7) scores than first-team players (P<0.05). There were no differences in the prevalence of DE risk between the male and female soccer players (X2 = 0.595). Conclusions The prevalence of DE risk was not different in elite male and female soccer players; in fact, the prevalence was greatest in non-athlete female controls. Perfectionism is a significant predictor of DE risk in males and females.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	1701 Psychology, 1103 Clinical Sciences
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GV Recreation Leisure > GV561 Sports
Divisions:	Sport & Exercise Sciences
Publisher:	Springer Verlag
Date Deposited:	11 Feb 2020 11:50
Last Modified:	04 Sep 2021 07:55
DOI or ID number:	10.1007/s40519-020-00872-0
URI:	https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/12240

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