Relationship between Trauma History and Eating Disorders in Adolescents

Taylor Groth; Mark Hilsenroth; Dana Boccio; Jerold Gold

doi:10.1007/s40653-019-00275-z

Relationship between Trauma History and Eating Disorders in Adolescents

J Child Adolesc Trauma. 2019 Jul 10;13(4):443-453. doi: 10.1007/s40653-019-00275-z. eCollection 2020 Dec.

Authors

Taylor Groth¹, Mark Hilsenroth¹, Dana Boccio¹, Jerold Gold¹

Affiliation

¹ Derner School of Psychology, Adelphi University, 158 Cambridge Avenue, Room 302, Garden City, NY 11530 USA.

Abstract

Reasons for developing an eating disorder (ED) are complex, yet one plausible risk factor gaining more relevance in adolescents with EDs is childhood trauma. The current study is the first to examine the presence of childhood trauma in relation to ED symptomatology in adolescents using DSM-5 criteria. It was hypothesized that patients with more traumatic experiences also have more severe ED symptoms. 112 therapists currently treating adolescent patients diagnosed with an ED completed an online survey consisting of a DSM-5 ED symptom checklist and a childhood trauma questionnaire on a current adolescent patient whom they have seen for at least eight sessions. Children with multiple traumatic experiences and the severity of those experiences demonstrated a relationship to overall ED (r = .179, p = .059) and bulimia symptoms (r = .183, p = .054), specifically binging (r = .188, p = .047). and purging (r = .217, p = .021). In addition, logistic regression analyses indicated that adolescents high on bulimia nervosa (B = 4.694, p = .044) were more likely to have been traumatized victims of violence. Exploratory analyses support prior literature that suggest similarities between adolescents' lack of control of the experienced trauma(s) with lack of control of ED symptoms. These findings highlight the importance of exploring trauma history when treating an adolescent with an ED, especially bulimia.

Keywords: Adolescents; Bulimia; Eating disorders; Trauma.