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Associations between COVID-19 pandemic impact, dimensions of behavior and eating disorders: A longitudinal UK-based study.

Published version
Peer-reviewed

Type

Article

Change log

Authors

Ioannidis, Konstantinos 
Hook, Roxanne W 
Bhatti, Junaid 
Czabanowska, Katarzyna 

Abstract

BACKGROUND: There is growing concern about how people with eating disorders are impacted by the widespread societal restructuring during the COVID-19 crisis. AIMS: We aimed to examine how factors relating to the impact of the pandemic associate with eating disorders and quantify this relationship while adjusting for concurrent and longitudinal parameters of risk. METHODS: We gathered demographic, behavioral and clinical data pre- and mid-pandemic as well as childhood trauma history from a longitudinal online survey of 489 adults (mean age 23.4 years) recruited from the Neuroscience in Psychiatry Network (NSPN). Using pre-pandemic (T1) and concurrent (T2) data we aimed to predict eating disorders at mid-pandemic (T2). We deployed hierarchical generalized logistic regression to ascertain the strength of longitudinal and concurrent associations. RESULTS: Pre-pandemic eating disorder scores strongly associated with concurrent eating disorder (z = 5.93). More conflict at home mid-pandemic (z = 2.03), pre- (lower sensation seeking z = -2.58) and mid-pandemic (higher lack of perseverance z = 2.33) impulsivity traits also associated with mid-pandemic eating disorder. CONCLUSION: Conflict at home mid-pandemic and specific aspects of impulsiveness significantly associated with concurrent eating disorder when adjusted for pre-pandemic eating disorder symptoms, baseline demographics, behavioral traits, history of traumatic experiences and concurrent psychopathology. These results provide insight into the struggles of those suffering with eating disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic and highlight the importance of impulsiveness traits and the immediate family environment in their experience of illness during the pandemic.

Description

Funder: UCLH Biomedical Research Centre


Funder: GlaxoSmithKline


Funder: Medical Research Council


Funder: Australian Research Council


Funder: National Institute for Health Research (NIHR)

Keywords

Anorexia nervosa, Bulimia nervosa, COVID-19, Conflict at home, Eating disorder, Impulsivity, Pandemic, Adult, Anorexia Nervosa, COVID-19, Feeding and Eating Disorders, Humans, Longitudinal Studies, Pandemics, United Kingdom, Young Adult

Journal Title

Compr Psychiatry

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

0010-440X
1532-8384

Volume Title

115

Publisher

Elsevier BV
Sponsorship
Wellcome Trust (110049/Z/15/Z)
Wellcome Trust (095844/Z/11/Z)