Temperament, Character, and Eating Attitudes in Japanese College Women

• Published in: Psychological reports 2003-06, Vol.92 (3_suppl), p.1162-1168
• Main Authors: Tomotake, Masahito, Harada, Takashi, Ishimoto, Yasuhito, Tanioka, Tetsuya, Ohmori, Tetsuro
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0033-2941; 1558-691X
• DOI: 10.2466/pr0.2003.92.3c.1162

The present study investigated associations between dimensions of personality characteristics and eating attitudes in Japanese college women. 91 college women with a mean age of 20.7 yr. (SD ! 2.3 yr.), attending a School of Nursing or a School for Kindergarten Teachers, voluntarily responded to the Japanese version of the Temperament and Character Inventory and the Eating Attitudes Test. A significant positive correlation was found between the scores on the Temperament and Character Inventory subscale of Harm Avoidance and the Eating Attitudes Test total scores (Spearman ρ = .24, p ! .02) and the scores on the Eating Attitudes Test subscale of Food Preoccupation (Spearman ρ = .33, p ! .002). The scores on the Temperament and Character Inventory subscale of Self-directedness showed significant negative correlations with the Eating Attitudes Test total scores (Spearman ρ = –.35, p ! .001) and the scores on the Eating Attitudes Test subscales of Dieting (Spearman ρ = –.29, p ! .005) and Food Preoccupation (Spearman ρ = –.43, p = .0001). The present results suggest that Japanese college women who score high on Harm Avoidance and low on Self-directedness may be more likely to develop inappropriate eating attitudes.