The contribution of alexithymia and interoceptive awareness to eating disorder psychopathology in males and females.

Eating disorders (EDs) are devastating and difficult to treat clinical conditions that predominantly affect young people. Identifying risk factors for developing an ED presents a methodological challenge given the heterogeneity of ED symptoms, as evidenced by an increasing number of distinct diagnoses. Risk factors for men are particularly elusive given the historical dearth of research on males with clinical and subthreshold ED symptoms. This project aims to examine potential risk factors implicated in the aetiology of EDs in males and females with the following objectives:
1. Establish a new factor structure for the eating disorder examination questionnaire suitable for examining males and females with clinical and subthreshold EDs.
2. Identify the contribution of alexithymia (lack of awareness over own emotions) and interoceptive awareness (awareness of internal bodily signals) in subthreshold ED psychopathology.
3. Examine critical differences between male and female subthreshold ED psychopathology.
4. Conduct exploratory analysis to examine sexuality as a potential risk factor for EDs.
5. Compare findings in community sample with a clinical group to establish validity of approach.