A symptom network analysis of exercise addiction and personality on ultra-marathon runners with serious complications

The psychological and psychopathological characteristics of ultra-runners have aroused growing interest in recent years. Indeed, although rare, ultramarathons may require hospitalisation, including to Intensive Care Unit (ICU). We aim to explore the relations between exercise addiction and personality traits in ultrarunners who went to ICU after a race. The Exercise Addiction Inventory (EAI) and the Ten-Item Personality Inventory (TIPI) were filled out by ultrarunners hospitalised in ICU or dialysed following an ultra-marathon. We carried out a network analysis to highlight the most central EAI and TIPI criteria, providing centrality measures. Eleven out of 12 individuals had an EAI cut-off score between 13 and 23 (M = 18.8; SD = 2.93), and were thus considered as symptomatic individuals, whereas only one ultrarunner was considered as "at risk" of exercise addiction (cut-off score >= 24). The TIPI suggests high scores in emotional stability. Regarding the EAI network, the mood modification criteria was the most central criteria for the four centrality measures. The present results suggest that ultrarunners affected by serious medical complications are not dependent on exercise, although most are "at risk". The presence of the mood modification as the first central criterion of the EAI, and of the high scores in emotional stability for the TIPI suggest the importance to consider these emotional constructs in the ultra-runner population.