Morningness-Eveningness and Eating Disorders in a Sample of Adolescent Girls

Eating disorders and morningness-eveningness preferences are presumed to be associated with each other. We tested this hypothesis in an adolescent population using a questionnaire for morningness (CSM) and three scales of the EDI-2: drive for thinness, bulimic behavior, and body dissatisfaction. After controlling for age and BMI, we found a positive association between eveningness and all three scales; evening-oriented girls reported higher values in eating disorders. There was a positive correlation between body dissatisfaction and drive for thinness on the one side and bedtimes during the week and on the weekend on the other, again supporting the view that eveningness and eating disorders are associated. The association between circadian preference and eating disorders thus emerges already in adolescence.