The association between passion, disordered eating attitudes, and self-reported injuries among pre-professional contemporary and ballet dancers

Both passion and disordered eating attitudes (DEA) have been associated with increased injury risk among dancers, yet their interplay remains unclear. Pre-professional ballet and contemporary dancers appear particularly vulnerable. This study examined how harmonious and obsessive passion, together with DEA, relate to injury risk in contemporary and ballet pre-professional dancers aged 15+. In September 2023, participants from a French dance school completed baseline questionnaires assessing demographics (age, sex, injury history), passion (Passion Scale), and DEA (EAT-26). From October 2023 to May 2024, participants completed monthly follow-up questionnaires on injuries, using the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center questionnaire on Health Problems (OSTRC-H). Injuries were defined as all-complaints (any physical complaint irrespective of the need for medical attention and/or time loss) and/or substantial (leading to moderate/severe/complete reduction in training volume or performance). Of 75 dancers enrolled, 62 ( M = 17.2 years, SD = 2; 23 males) were included in the analyses. During follow-up, 48 dancers (77.4%) reported at least one injury, and 26 (41.9%) a substantial injury. Injury incidence rates were 2.27 per 1000 h of dance exposure for all-complaints injuries, and 0.76 for substantial injuries. Higher EAT-26 scores were associated with more all-complaints injuries ( b = 0.02, p = .001), whereas harmonious passion was negatively associated with injury occurrence ( b = −0.05, p = .005). Mediation analysis indicated an indirect association between obsessive passion and all-complaints injuries through DEA (indirect effect: b = 0.045, p = .031). These findings highlight the need to address obsessive passion, DEA, and to promote more autonomous, balanced engagement in dance to potentially reduce injury risk in pre-professional dancers.