1
AWR 201-48
04 September 2022
Eating Disorder Awareness in High-Level Athletes
Athletes often struggle with many internal conflicts: seeking external validation,
competitive stressors, self-criticism, body image, and high expectations of the sport itself.
The internal conflict of athletes can cause an increase in mental health issues, the abstract
from Bratland-Sanda and Sundgot-Borgens' study states ‘The prevalence of disordered eating
and eating disorders vary from 0–19% in male athletes and 6–45% in female athletes’ (499).
The effects of eating disorders on high-level athletes are overlooked and the level of
awareness has only begun to increase within the athletic community over the past decade or
so, and is still very much unknown by those outside of it. Beyond spreading awareness, it
comes down to making the resources that already exist more accessible to athletes and
advising coaches and parents about how to approach and provide support for their athletes
who they suspect are struggling. Things that make a successful athlete are traits of
perfectionism, self-discipline, proper nutrition, and many more. Further, athletes base
successes and self-worth on external validation from their peers, coaches, and family.
However, these positive attributes can also make athletes more susceptible to eating
disorders.
Perfectionism, being a source of self-defeating thoughts, can stem from the fear of
failure, disapproval or judgment from others, or highly unrealistic goals. Forsberg and Lock
define perfectionists as ‘those described as setting extremely high standards which is often
accompanied by fear of failure and concern with mistakes’ (526). The trait of perfectionism is
a key component in mental health issues, such as anxiety, OCD (obsessive-compulsive
, 2
disorder), and multiple eating disorders; it also plays a role in the development of athletics.
The ideology of being the best of the best is consuming, and having external comparisons to
look at can be seen as a form of motivation but it is also detrimental, putting athletes at high
risk:
Suggested sport-specific risk factors include frequent weight regulation, dieting and
experienced pressure to lose weight, personality traits, early start of sport-specific
training, injuries, symptoms of overtraining, impression motivation, threat
perception, and the impact of coaching behaviour. Some of these risk factors are
shared with non-athletes; however, it is suggested that the sports environment can
make athletes even more vulnerable to these risk factors compared to
non-athletes.(Bratland-Sanda and Sundgot-Borgen 503)
Competition and comparison thrive in sport environments, by externally comparing to
other athletes who have seen more success than others it's easy to slip into a mindset with
self-defeating thoughts. Having a constant fear of not attaining set goals, or not making a
team can be a source of motivation but it can also become a performance inhibitor. Often
athletes out-train their performances, but they can also take performance anxiety s and
interpret them as excitement to help enhance a positive mentality. The mere presence of
others can either enhance or impair performance, but it is based if the person
competing/performing is confident in their ability to do the task. This is explained in
American psychologist Robert Zajonc’s drive theory. While in the presence of others
performer is confident in how they have trained (their dominant response) in the task allows
for social facilitation to occur, but if they are in doubt of themselves social inhibition occurs.
The mere presence of others creates arousal good or bad, but when failure is a result, those
high standards that were not met cause a level of dissonance in the athlete who expresses
perfectionism. The fear of failure and judgement is a base of perfectionism, athletes look to
AWR 201-48
04 September 2022
Eating Disorder Awareness in High-Level Athletes
Athletes often struggle with many internal conflicts: seeking external validation,
competitive stressors, self-criticism, body image, and high expectations of the sport itself.
The internal conflict of athletes can cause an increase in mental health issues, the abstract
from Bratland-Sanda and Sundgot-Borgens' study states ‘The prevalence of disordered eating
and eating disorders vary from 0–19% in male athletes and 6–45% in female athletes’ (499).
The effects of eating disorders on high-level athletes are overlooked and the level of
awareness has only begun to increase within the athletic community over the past decade or
so, and is still very much unknown by those outside of it. Beyond spreading awareness, it
comes down to making the resources that already exist more accessible to athletes and
advising coaches and parents about how to approach and provide support for their athletes
who they suspect are struggling. Things that make a successful athlete are traits of
perfectionism, self-discipline, proper nutrition, and many more. Further, athletes base
successes and self-worth on external validation from their peers, coaches, and family.
However, these positive attributes can also make athletes more susceptible to eating
disorders.
Perfectionism, being a source of self-defeating thoughts, can stem from the fear of
failure, disapproval or judgment from others, or highly unrealistic goals. Forsberg and Lock
define perfectionists as ‘those described as setting extremely high standards which is often
accompanied by fear of failure and concern with mistakes’ (526). The trait of perfectionism is
a key component in mental health issues, such as anxiety, OCD (obsessive-compulsive
, 2
disorder), and multiple eating disorders; it also plays a role in the development of athletics.
The ideology of being the best of the best is consuming, and having external comparisons to
look at can be seen as a form of motivation but it is also detrimental, putting athletes at high
risk:
Suggested sport-specific risk factors include frequent weight regulation, dieting and
experienced pressure to lose weight, personality traits, early start of sport-specific
training, injuries, symptoms of overtraining, impression motivation, threat
perception, and the impact of coaching behaviour. Some of these risk factors are
shared with non-athletes; however, it is suggested that the sports environment can
make athletes even more vulnerable to these risk factors compared to
non-athletes.(Bratland-Sanda and Sundgot-Borgen 503)
Competition and comparison thrive in sport environments, by externally comparing to
other athletes who have seen more success than others it's easy to slip into a mindset with
self-defeating thoughts. Having a constant fear of not attaining set goals, or not making a
team can be a source of motivation but it can also become a performance inhibitor. Often
athletes out-train their performances, but they can also take performance anxiety s and
interpret them as excitement to help enhance a positive mentality. The mere presence of
others can either enhance or impair performance, but it is based if the person
competing/performing is confident in their ability to do the task. This is explained in
American psychologist Robert Zajonc’s drive theory. While in the presence of others
performer is confident in how they have trained (their dominant response) in the task allows
for social facilitation to occur, but if they are in doubt of themselves social inhibition occurs.
The mere presence of others creates arousal good or bad, but when failure is a result, those
high standards that were not met cause a level of dissonance in the athlete who expresses
perfectionism. The fear of failure and judgement is a base of perfectionism, athletes look to
