3 - (3-MIN 1) Contribution of Athletic Experience and Personality in Disordered Eating and Exercise Addiction Among Former Student-athletes

Sport retirement entails numerous adjustments for varsity student-athletes, who typically undergo significant identity and body-related changes during this transition. Indeed, most varsity student-athletes retire from sports at the end of their studies, implying the loss of their identity as a student, but also as an athlete. Moreover, sport retirement may also involve the loss of the student-athlete’s usual support network, at a time when identity, body image, and lifestyle habits are undergoing significant transformation. These substantial changes may contribute to increased vulnerability to disordered eating and exercise addiction among former varsity student-athletes. This study aimed to (1) compare the severity of disordered eating and exercise addiction symptoms between former varsity student-athletes and former varsity non-athlete students, and (2) examine whether the associations between personality traits and these symptoms differ across groups. A total of 89 former varsity student-athletes and 69 former varsity non-athlete students completed a online questionnaire between January and September 2025. Analyses included multivariate analysis of variance, discriminant function analysis, regression analyses, and moderation analyses. Results indicated that the two groups of participants differed significantly in terms of disordered eating and exercise addiction symptoms. Specifically, former varsity student-athletes reported more symptoms of exercise addiction, fewer disordered eating associated with drive for muscularity, and similar levels of disordered eating associated with drive for thinness and symptoms of orthorexia. Furthermore, perfectionism predicted all the variables studied but appeared to predict disordered eating associated with drive for thinness and drive for muscularity more strongly in former non-athlete students compared to former student-athletes. These results underscore the importance of considering, preventing, and identifying symptoms of exercise addiction as well as different forms of disordered eating throughout an athletic career and during the transition to retirement. Perfectionism-focused interventions such as developing an attitude of acceptance towards body image, recognizing personal values, or developing greater body awareness may contribute to improved support for student-athletes, notably through the prevention of exercise addiction symptoms and disordered eating.