Patterns of disordered eating behavior, adaptive and maladaptive perfectionism and impulsivity in early adolescents

In this study, latent profile analysis (LPA) was used to identify naturally occurring patterns or profiles of maladaptive and adaptive perfectionism, impulsivity, and disordered eating (DE) in early adolescence (111 boys, 138 girls; M age = 13.6 years). Profile membership at age 13 was used to examine disordered eating patterns assessed at ages 11 and 12, providing insights into how symptoms had developed prior to profile formation. Using LPA, we identified five profiles: (1) high functioning (2), maladaptively impulsive (3), anxious-avoidant (4), maladaptively perfectionistic, and (5) maladaptively impulsive-perfectionistic. The maladaptively perfectionistic profile showed the highest levels of dieting, preoccupation with food, and body concerns as well as perceived sociocultural pressure to be thin, followed by the maladaptively impulsive-perfectionistic profile. Analyses of earlier DE patterns indicated that the anxious-avoidant profile consistently showed the lowest BMI and highest perceived pressure to eat, both at age 13 and at earlier assessment points, suggesting possible feeding-related difficulties. The findings confirm that maladaptive and adaptive perfectionism, impulsivity, and BMI are jointly associated with the development of DE in early adolescence, demonstrating that considering these traits together yields greater explanatory value than focusing on any single factor alone. While identifying general risk factors is essential, differentiating personality-based profiles of vulnerable adolescents may be particularly valuable for targeted early prevention. This study examined how perfectionism and impulsivity are linked to disordered eating in early adolescence. We studied 249 boys and girls aged 13 to 14 and also looked at their eating patterns from ages 11 to 12. We identified naturally occurring groups of adolescents based on their levels of perfectionism, impulsivity, and disordered eating, and found five distinct profiles that differed in their eating-related attitudes and behaviors. Among the profiles found, adolescents with high perfectionism showed the strongest signs of restrictive eating, preoccupation with food, and concerns about their body. Another group had low body weight and reported feeling pressure from others to eat, suggesting feeding-related challenges. Some of these differences were already evident at ages 11–12, suggesting that these patterns were present across early adolescence. These findings highlight that young people can experience disordered eating in different ways. Recognising such patterns may help identify those at greater risk and improve early prevention and support.