High rates of adverse experiences in infancy among patients with eating disorders have been shown by a new study published in the Journal of Eating Disorders. Different diagnoses have been linked to specific patterns of trauma. For example, patients who developed an eating disorder were particularly likely to report a history of physical abuse and emotional. Check now more information about the study that makes the association of childhood trauma to eating disorders.
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An adverse childhood experience (AIE) is a negative event that occurs during early life and has the potential to cause lasting physical and emotional harm. These stressors include physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, as well as negative family experiences such as parental alcoholism or sexual violence.
The term "eating disorders" refers to a group of psychological conditions, such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, which include disordered eating. These disparities have high mortality rates, are profoundly detrimental to quality of life, and can have serious medical repercussions.
One case of EAI was associated with psychological diagnoses in adults, including eating disorders. As a result of this association, an increasing number of medical professionals are addressing trauma care as part of eating disorder management.
A study was conducted by Renee D. Rienecke and her team that can help guide the implementation of care for patients with trauma-related nutritional disorders. They examined the prevalence of EAIs in patients with eating disorders and considered whether certain diagnoses are linked to different patterns of trauma.
At two private treatment facilities in the United States, a total of 1061 adult patients with eating disorders were enrolled. Patients participated in a study where they related their stories of childhood trauma and listed adverse events that occurred during that period.
The researchers then compared the study data with a sample of more than 200,000 US adults. It was confirmed that patients with eating disorders had higher general EAI scores when compared to the national sample.
Patients with eating disorders also reported higher rates of sexual abuse, parental divorce, and having a family member with mental illness. Although the patient sample was disproportionately female and white compared to the sample nationally, the highest levels of EAIs among patients persisted after controlling for sex and race.
The number of EAIs experienced by those with an eating disorder was higher than among the general population. Additionally, specific eating disorder diagnoses have been associated with certain patterns of EAIs.
