Dissociation has been related to emotional dysregulation and eating psychopathology. Dissociation may interfere with the learning process, affecting at the therapy negatively. The aim of the study is to analyse if at the eating disorders (ED), dissociation is linked to temperamental traits or also to character traits, which are susceptible to be modulated during the therapeutic process.

We studied 119 females that started an outpatient program for their ED. We used the Dissociative Experience Scale (DES), Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI), Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-40), and the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). We used multiple regression analysis.

Dissociation was associated with high scores on the EAT-40, even controlling the effect of anxiety traits, which also was related to dissociation. The temperament dimension “searching for novelty”, has been related in an opposite way to the DES. Also, the “dimension of transcendence “character and “self determination” influenced on the DES.

This study confirms the importance of improving Self Determination levels at ED therapy, which influence on a lot of prognostic aspects, such as protecting from dissociation, which is related to anxiety and alimentary psychopathology and can interfere with the therapeutic progress.

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.