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Anxiety

Trauma Exposure Linked to Eating Disorders in Adolescents

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Trauma exposure has been associated with increased symptoms of anxiety and depression in adolescents presenting with eating disorders. A recent study published in Psychiatry Research found that adolescents with multiple trauma exposures reported higher levels of depression, anxiety, and eating disorder symptoms than those with no trauma exposure. Despite this, the study found that depression, eating, and anxiety symptoms improved with treatment, regardless of trauma exposure.

Key Takeaways:

  • The study examined a clinical adolescent eating disorder population (n = 407) and found that most participants reported trauma exposures (40.2% with no trauma, 17.0% with single trauma, and 42.8% with multiple trauma).
  • Adolescents with multiple trauma exposures had significantly higher depression, anxiety, and EDE-Q total and subscale scores (all p 0.003), except for restraint.
  • The study found that depression, eating, and anxiety symptoms improved with treatment (all p 0.003), but interactions with time and trauma were significant for depression (p = 0.04) and eating symptoms (p = 0.007).
  • Clinicians should consider screening adolescents presenting with trauma exposures for disordered eating, as earlier interventions for ED are known to improve outcomes.
  • The study suggests that trauma exposure may be a contributing factor to the development of eating disorders in adolescents.

Statistics:

  • 407 adolescents participated in the study, with a mean age of 15.11 ± 1.59 years.
  • 86.5% of participants were female, 76.7% were white, and 60.7% were not-Hispanic.
  • Vicarious (36.8%), medical (25.2%), and physical (23.9%) trauma exposures were the most frequent, but adolescents more commonly associated their symptoms with emotional (30.5%), medical (19.7%), or sexual (16.8%) trauma exposures.
  • EDE-Q total scores were significantly higher in adolescents with multiple trauma exposures (p 0.003).

Sources:

  • The impact of trauma exposure on psychiatric symptoms and treatment of eating disorders in adolescents. Psychiatry Research, 2025;353:116754.
  • University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
  • Elsevier Ireland Ltd
  • Jayme M. Palka, Dept. of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 1440 Empire Plaza DL4.228, Dallas, TX 75247, United States

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