Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2015 Dec;4(4):273-80.
doi: 10.1556/2006.4.2015.044.

Risk for exercise dependence, eating disorder pathology, alcohol use disorder and addictive behaviors among clients of fitness centers

Astrid Müller  1 , Sabine Loeber  2 , Johanna Söchtig  1 , Bert Te Wildt  3 , Martina De Zwaan  1
Affiliations

Risk for exercise dependence, eating disorder pathology, alcohol use disorder and addictive behaviors among clients of fitness centers

Astrid Müller et al. J Behav Addict. 2015 Dec.

Abstract

Background and aims: Exercise dependence (EXD) is considered a behavioral addiction that is often associated with eating disorders. To date, only few studies examined the potential overlap between EXD and other addictive behaviors. Therefore, the present study aimed at investigating the relationship of EXD with pathological buying, pathological video gaming (offline and online), hypersexual behavior, and alcohol use disorder in a sample of clients of fitness centers.

Methods: The following questionnaires were answered by 128 individuals (age M = 26.5, SD = 6.7 years; 71.7% men, 74.2% university students): Exercise Dependence Scale, Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire, Compulsive Buying Scale, Pathological Computer-Gaming Scale, Hypersexual Behavior Inventory, and Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT).

Results: 7.8% of the sample were at-risk for EXD, 10.9% reported eating disorder pathology, 2.3% pathological buying, 3.1% hypersexual behavior, and none of the participants suffered from pathological video gaming. The criteria for severe alcohol disorder pathology (AUDIT ≥ 16) were fulfilled by 10.2%. With regard to continuous symptom scores, EXD symptoms were positively correlated with both eating disorder pathology and pathological buying but not with pathological video gaming, hypersexuality or alcohol use disorder. It is noteworthy that more symptoms of pathological buying corresponded with more symptoms of hypersexual behavior. The correlation pattern did not differ by gender.

Discussion: The co-occurrence of EXD, pathological buying and hypersexual behavior on a subclinical level or in the early stage of the disorders should be taken into account when assessing and treating patients. More research is warranted in order to investigate possible interactions between these conditions.

Keywords: alcohol use disorder; eating disorder; exercise dependence; hypersexual behavior; pathological buying; pathological video gaming.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Adams J. (2009). Understanding exercise dependence. Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy, 39(4), 231–240.
    1. American Psychiatric Association (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. 5th revision ed. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.
    1. Babor T. F., de la Fuente J. R., Saunders J., Grant M. (1989). AUDIT–The alcohol use disorders identification test: Guidelines for use in primary health care. Geneva: World Health Organization, Division of Mental Health.
    1. Bamber D. J., Cockerill I. M., Rodgers S., Carroll D. (2003). Diagnostic criteria for exercise dependence in women. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 37(5), 393–400. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Berczik K., Szabó A., Griffiths M. D., Kurimay T., Kun B., Urbán R., Demetrovics Z. (2012). Exercise addiction: Symptoms, diagnosis, epidemiology, and etiology. Substance Use & Misuse, 47(4), 403–417. - PubMed

MeSH terms