Cross-sectional and longitudinal changes in body composition, anxiety, and depression in a clinical sample of adolescents with anorexia nervosa.

OBJECTIVE: Eating disorders among children and adolescents have increased in prevalence, and mortality rates for anorexia nervosa are among the highest for any psychiatric disorder. Our current study aimed to (a) examine the cross-sectional relationship between body composition and anxiety/depressive symptoms among 97 adolescents and young adults who have been diagnosed with anorexia nervosa, (b) examine the longitudinal changes in body composition and anxiety/depressive symptoms over three months (from baseline to follow-up visit), and (c) examine the longitudinal relationship between change in body composition and change in anxiety/depression over three months. METHOD: A retrospective chart review was conducted within an interdisciplinary eating disorder clinic between August 2019 and December 2021. In total, 97 adolescents aged 11-20 years old with diagnoses of anorexia nervosa were included in the analyses. Body composition data were collected at each visit along with parent- and youth-report measures of symptoms of anxiety/depression symptoms. RESULTS: Findings indicated adolescents demonstrated some improvement in body composition, as well as parent-reported reductions in anxiety/depression symptoms. Based on parent reports, increased BMI percentile was associated with improvements in anxiety/depression symptoms. On the other hand, youth did not report significant changes in anxiety/depressive symptoms. Additionally, there were no associated improvements with body composition measures, which may be associated with continued body dissatisfaction or symptoms of anxiety and depression predating the eating disorder. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest the importance of including interventions addressing depression, anxiety, and body image as part of treatment.

Moderation Effects of Ethnic-Racial Identity on Disordered Eating and Ethnicity Among Asian and Caucasian Americans.

Background: The current study was designed to examine whether ethnic-racial identity (ERI) moderated the relationship between disordered eating and primary ethnic identification. Methods: Three hundred and ninety-eight undergraduate women (M age = 19.95, SD = 3.09) were recruited from a large university in Hawai'i. Participants completed the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q), the ERI measure, and reported their primary ethnicity as an index of ethnicity. Results: There was a significant correlation between eating concerns and centrality, r (357) = 0.127, p < 0.05. Moderation analyses indicated that only ERI centrality moderated the predictive effect of ethnicity on the importance of eating concerns, b = 0.05, t (347) = 2.37, p = 0.018. Conclusions: The results suggest that the relationship between self-reported primary ethnicity and EDEQ scores is greater when ethnicity is more central to the individual's identity or when the in-group affect is important to an individual. Findings underscore the need for further research on the underlying mechanisms that account for the differing ways that ERI may affect eating concerns.

Appearance-focused media use as a moderator of the relationship between fear of fat and weight bias: an exploratory study.

PURPOSE: Previous research has found that fear of fat, or the fear of gaining weight, is fairly common within both normative and clinical populations. Similarly, weight bias, or biased attitudes directed at obese individuals, has been found across multiple segments of society. A common link shared between fear of fat and weight bias is the inherent emphasis on anti-fat feelings. Previous research has demonstrated an anti-fat bias within media content. Therefore, the purpose of the current research is to examine exposure to appearance-focused media as a moderator of the relationship between fear of fat and weight bias. METHODS: One hundred and eighty-seven female participants (Mage = 21.05, MBMI = 22.60) were administered a battery of assessments, including the Goldfarb Fear of Fat Scale and the Universal Measure of Bias of Fat Scale. Participants were also asked to report their frequency of exposure to appearance-focused media (TV and magazines). RESULTS: Results of this study suggest that appearance-focused media partially moderated the relationship between fear of fat and weight bias. CONCLUSIONS: This suggests the messages portrayed by the media may be strengthening the relationship between fear of gaining weight and discrimination directed at obese individuals. Understanding this relationship has important implications for reducing weight stigma. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level V, cross-sectional descriptive study.