Comportamentos ortoréticos e experiências de vergonha: A sua relação e impacto no comportamento alimentar perturbado

Objectives: The present study aimed to explore orthoretic behaviors (an attitudinal and behavioral style that reflects an intense and persistent concern with healthy foods consumption) as a possible risk factor for developing disordered eating and binge eating behaviors. In Study 1, differences between moderate/severe levels and lower levels of orthoretic behaviors were tested concerning experiences of shame (general and body-image focused) and disordered eating indicators (general and binge eating). In Study 2, a theoretical model was tested in which it was hypothesized the association between orthoretic behaviors, general shame, and body-image as risk factors for disordered eating and binge eating in women from the general population. Method: The sample consisted of 307 women from the general population, aged between 18 and 63 years old (M = 33,62; DP = 11,73), who responded to an online protocol with a set of self-report measures of orthoretic behaviors, general and body-image shame, disordered eating and binge eating. Results: Participants with moderate/severe levels of orthoretic behaviors revealed significantly higher levels of general shame, body-image shame, disordered eating, and binge eating when compared to participants with lower levels of orthoretic behaviors. The path analysis results indicated that orthoretic behaviors, general shame, and body-image shame explain 51.0% of the variance of disordered eating and 47.0% of binge eating variance. Conclusions: The present study suggests orthoretic behaviors as a possible risk factor for Eating Disorders' development. The present study's data is important for clinical purposes, showing that orthoretic behaviors seem to contribute to greater severity of disordered eating, both restrictive and binge eating types, despite being considered socially acceptable behaviors associated with general experiences and body-image shame.