Religion orientations and eating disorders

Background. The aim of the present case-control study was to evaluate the relationships between eating disorder (ED) psychopathology and two different religious orientations: intrinsic and extrinsic. Methods. Twenty-three anorexia nervosa, 10 bulimia nervosa and 39 binge eating disorder patients were compared with 72 healthy control subjects, using the Religious Orientation Scale (ROS). Results. ED patients showed higher scores on the extrinsic subscale and lower intrinsic religiousness subscale compared to healthy controls. No significant differences were observed between ED groups in terms of ROS scores. Conclusions. Higher extrinsic religiousness was associated with the presence of ED, whereas intrinsic religiousness may represent a protective factor.