Background <p>This study aims to estimate the risk of eating disorders and their related factors among final-year medical students. Additionally, the present study is assessing the disordered eating behaviors relationship with alexithymia and social cognition.</p> Methods <p>An approved descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out at Cairo University’s Faculty of Medicine from August 2021 to December 2022. The participants were categorized into two distinct groups: Group A (students at risk for eating disorders) and Group B (students not at risk for eating disorders). All participants were evaluated using the Eating Attitude Test-26 (EAT-26), the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q), the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), the Emotion Identification Test from the Ekman Program, and Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test-revised version (RMET).</p> Results <p>A total of 370 final-year students, both male and female, participated in the study. Group A included 136 students (37%), while Group B consisted of 234 students (63%). Female students exhibited a greater risk for developing an eating disorder (<i>p</i> =  &lt; 0.001). Students classified as at risk for eating disorders displayed significantly elevated alexithymia scores and diminished social cognition scores when compared to their counterparts without risk (<i>p</i> =  &lt; 0.001).</p> Conclusion <p>Medical students are more susceptible to eating-related problems. Deficits in alexithymia and social cognition potentiate the risk of eating disorders.</p>

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Disordered eating behaviors among a sample of final-year medical students at Cairo University and its relationship with alexithymia and social cognition

  • Esraa S. Elsherif,
  • Mona Y. Al-Rakhawy,
  • Heba Fathy,
  • Ashraf Adel,
  • Ola O. Khalaf

摘要

Background

This study aims to estimate the risk of eating disorders and their related factors among final-year medical students. Additionally, the present study is assessing the disordered eating behaviors relationship with alexithymia and social cognition.

Methods

An approved descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out at Cairo University’s Faculty of Medicine from August 2021 to December 2022. The participants were categorized into two distinct groups: Group A (students at risk for eating disorders) and Group B (students not at risk for eating disorders). All participants were evaluated using the Eating Attitude Test-26 (EAT-26), the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q), the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), the Emotion Identification Test from the Ekman Program, and Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test-revised version (RMET).

Results

A total of 370 final-year students, both male and female, participated in the study. Group A included 136 students (37%), while Group B consisted of 234 students (63%). Female students exhibited a greater risk for developing an eating disorder (p =  < 0.001). Students classified as at risk for eating disorders displayed significantly elevated alexithymia scores and diminished social cognition scores when compared to their counterparts without risk (p =  < 0.001).

Conclusion

Medical students are more susceptible to eating-related problems. Deficits in alexithymia and social cognition potentiate the risk of eating disorders.