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Has COVID-19 Complicated Eating Disorder Treatment? An Examination of Comorbidities and Treatment Response Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Cook, Brian; Mascolo, Margherita; Bass, Garrett; Duffy, Mary E; Zehring, Brad; Beasley, Tammy.
  • Cook B; Clinical Department, Alsana, Thousand Oaks, California.
  • Mascolo M; Corresponding author: Brian Cook, PhD, 2545 West Hillcrest Drive, Ste 205, Newbury Park, CA 91320 (Briancookphd@gmail.com).
  • Bass G; Medical Department, Alsana, Thousand Oaks, California.
  • Duffy ME; Clinical Department, Alsana, Thousand Oaks, California.
  • Zehring B; Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida.
  • Beasley T; Medical Department, Alsana, Thousand Oaks, California.
Prim Care Companion CNS Disord ; 24(1)2022 Jan 20.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1631300
ABSTRACT

Objective:

Recent evidence suggests psychosocial stressors stemming from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) exposure and public health recommendations and policies have exacerbated eating disorder symptoms. Consequentially, eating disorder acuity has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, it is still unclear how the COVID-19 pandemic may be impacting individuals receiving treatment for eating disorders at higher levels of care. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of COVID-19 on eating disorder symptoms and associated outcomes in a sample of individuals receiving eating disorder treatment compared to individuals receiving treatment in 2019.

Methods:

Blinded outcomes data from 272 adults who completed treatment at an eating disorder treatment center between April and October of 2019 (pre-COVID-19 group) and 2020 (COVID-19 group) were examined. Repeated measures analyses of variance with Bonferroni correction were used to examine differences in outcome variables and treatment response.

Results:

Fewer participants reported trauma in 2020, but symptoms were more severe when present. A significant interaction effect for treatment (eg, admission, discharge) and year (eg, pre-COVID-19, COVID-19) was found for eating disorder and trauma symptoms. Moreover, trauma symptom scores were higher in 2020 than in 2019. The interaction among year, trauma, and treatment was significant (F3,268 = 2.11, P = .027, η2 = 0.034), indicating that individuals with severe trauma in 2020 reported less eating disorder symptom score reduction.

Conclusions:

Results extend understanding of effects during the COVID-19 pandemic on treatment-seeking individuals with eating disorders. Clinical implications suggest that greater attention to trauma when screening eating disorder patients and selecting treatment approaches are needed, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Subject(s)

Full text: Available Collection: International databases Database: MEDLINE Main subject: Feeding and Eating Disorders / COVID-19 Type of study: Diagnostic study / Observational study / Prognostic study Limits: Adult / Humans Language: English Year: 2022 Document Type: Article

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Full text: Available Collection: International databases Database: MEDLINE Main subject: Feeding and Eating Disorders / COVID-19 Type of study: Diagnostic study / Observational study / Prognostic study Limits: Adult / Humans Language: English Year: 2022 Document Type: Article