Relationship Between Orthorexia Nervosa, Eating Attitudes and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Among Nursing Students: A Cross-Sectional Study

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Kaynar Demirel N. S., Ayhan C. H., Aslan K.

THE EUROPEAN RESEARCH JOURNAL, cilt.12, sa.6, ss.659-672, 2026 (TRDizin)

Özet

Objective: This study aims to determine the levels of orthorexic tendencies, eating attitudes, andobsessive-compulsive symptoms in nursing students, examine the relationships among these variables, andinvestigate whether orthorexic tendencies and eating attitudes predict obsessive-compulsive symptoms.Methods: The study was designed as a descriptive, cross-sectional study. Participants were selected usingpurposive sampling. Descriptive Characteristics Information Form, Orthorexia-11 Scale, Eating Attitudes Test(EAT) and Padua Inventory-Washington State University Revision (PI-WSUR) scales were used. This studywas reported in accordance with the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiologychecklist for cross-sectional studies. Results: The mean score was 19.11±11.53 in the EAT participants, 28.30±4.16 in the Orthorexia-11 Scale and56.35±23.85 in the PI-WSUR. A positive correlation was found between the participants’ orthorexia nervosatendencies and obsessive-compulsive symptoms. It was observed that as the participants' EAT mean scoresincreased, their obsessive-compulsive symptoms also increased. In the regression analysis, it was seen thatorthorexia nervosa tendencies and eating attitudes were significant predictors of obsessive-compulsive symptoms.Conclusion: The findings obtained from the study are important in terms of shedding light on the relationshipbetween orthorexia nervosa, eating attitudes and obsessive-compulsive symptoms in nursing students. Giventhat health sciences students are a high-risk group for eating disorders, it is essential to include courses oneating disorders in the curriculum and implement regular psychological screenings in universiti