Examining the Associations of Physical Appearance Perfectionism with Disordered Eating Behaviors in Young Chinese Gay Men

Previous research has shown that those with a high level of perfectionism are more prone to the negative effects of body image exposure on self-evaluation. However, the negative effects of physical appearance, an area where individuals may present perfectionism, have not been studied well. This study aims to understand the relationships between the constructs of perfectionism, appearance comparisons, and body dissatisfaction with disordered eating behavior. The current study examined the association between the two sub-dimensions of physical appearance perfectionism scale (i.e., worry about imperfection and hope for perfection) and disordered eating behavior in young Chinese gay men. A total of 234 respondents were selected by convenience sampling and snowball sampling. Four questionnaires were administered (i.e., Physical Appearance Perfectionism Scale, Eating Attitude Test, Physical Appearance Comparison Scale, Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire-Appearance Evaluation Subscale). The results indicated that 34% of gay men in the sample met criteria for elevated risk of eating disorders, multiple regression analysis found that worry about imperfections had a direct effect on disordered eating behavior in young Chinese gay men, whereas hope for perfection did not show a significant direct effect on disordered eating behavior. The two sub-dimensions of physical appearance perfectionism have an indirect effect on disordered eating behavior, mediated by physical appearance comparison. However, the results showed that worry about imperfection and hope for perfection did not have an indirect effect on disordered eating behavior with body dissatisfaction as mediators.