The mediating effect of perfectionism in the association between avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder and wellbeing among a sample of Lebanese adults

Background: Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) describes patients with pathological avoidant or restrictive eating without body image concerns. Studies have shown the association of ARFID with lower wellbeing and perfectionism. The present study aims to evaluate the role of perfectionism in the association between ARFID and Wellbeing. Methods: In this study, 515 Lebanese adults were recruited from various regions across Lebanon, with 60.1% being female. The Arabic version of the Big Three Perfectionism Scale – Short Form (BTPS-SF) was utilized to assess self-critical, rigid, and narcissistic perfectionism. The Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder screen (NIAS) was employed to evaluate ARFID, and wellbeing was measured using the WHO-5 Wellbeing index. Results: The results of the mediation analysis showed that rigid and self-critical perfectionism partially and fully mediated the association between ARFID and wellbeing respectively. It is noteworthy that narcissistic perfectionism did not mediate the association avoidant restrictive eating-wellbeing. Conclusion: This study revealed the central role of perfectionism in ARFID. This leads to important clinical implications, emphasizing the necessity for interventions targeting perfectionism in ARFID patients to increase their level of wellbeing.