Eating Disorders and Psychopathological Traits in Obese Preadolescents and Adolescents

Abstract

Objective: to investigate the presence of eating disorders (ED) and psychopathological traits in obese preadolescents and adolescents compared to normal-weight peers.

Design: Overweight/obese patients aged 11 to 14 y and normal-weight peers’ data collected by means of self-report questionnaires administered to parents and children.

Setting: Clinical Nutrition Units in the Municipalities of Rome, Naples, Gallipoli and Atri, Italy.

Subjects: 376 preadolescents and adolescents. Patients were 187 (93 boys, BMI=27.9±;4.1; 94 girls, BMI=28.1±4.5); normal-weight controls were 189 subjects (94 boys, BMI=19.4±1.4; 95 girls, BMI=19.5±1.5).

Measures of outcome: eating disorder behaviors, psychopathological traits and symptoms estimated by means of the eating disorders scales (EDI-2) and psychopathological scales (CBCL 4–18).

Results: Patients reached higher scores than controls in most of the eating disorders scales and psychopathological scales. Twenty-one (11.2%) patients were considered at risk of developing an eating disorder and 75 (40%) presented social problems. With regard to weight status, age-group and gender, main significant interaction effects were seen in social problems (F= 6.50; p<0.05) and ineffectiveness (F= 4.15; p<0.05).

Conclusions: Findings from our study demonstrate that in preadolescence and adolescence, obesity is significantly associated to some traits typical of ED and to psychological problems in general. Although no inference can be made with regard to direction of causality, it is possible to conclude that overweight preadolescents and adolescents can be prone to display problematic traits more commonly associated to eating disorders and to present a high degree of mental distress.

Key words:

• childhood and adolescent obesity
• eating disorders
• psychopathological symptoms

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We are grateful to Paula Lavis at the Mental Health Institute, London, and Paolo Varricchio, Assistant Professor at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, New Jersey, for careful editing of the article.