Introduction:

Personality traits have been associated with the expression, symptoms and maintenance of eating disorders. Several studies have described differences in the personality traits in patients with eating disorders. The aim of the study was to explore the reports in the literature analyzing the personality traits in the eating disorders.

Material and methods:

An exploratory search was carried out, using public databases. We included studies analyzing the association between personality and eating disorders and studies that performed cluster analysis of personality traits.

Results:

Fifteen studies were identified that explored the dimensions of personality traits in eating disorders, of which three subtypes were identified: over-regulated, under-regulated, and low psychopathology. The over-regulated was characterized by high compulsivity, harm avoidance, and emotional inhibition. The under-regulated showed a high impulsivity, novelty seeking and oppositionality. Finally, low psychopathology subtype was characterized for a greater ability to adapt to the changes in the social environment.

Conclusions:

The presence of personality traits in eating disorder patients are risk factors that influence in the vulnerability and maintenance of these disorders.

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