Associations of adverse childhood events with disordered eating behaviors among US adolescents

Abstract

The purpose of our study was to use recent nationally-representative data to 1) determine whether reported adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) were associated with individual disordered eating behaviors (DEBs) for the US- based early and middle adolescent population; and 2) the extent to which individual ACE categories were associated with DEBs for this population. The study used cross-sectional data from the 2022 National Survey of Children's Health, which used parent-reported data. Inclusion criteria included all early (10-13 years of age) and middle-aged adolescents (14-17 years of age) (n = 24,173). Multiple logistic regressions were used to test the association between ACEs and DEBs while controlling for covariates. Both categories for ACEs (i.e. 1-2 ACEs and 3+ ACEs) exhibited a statistically significant association with three specific DEBs: skipping meals or fasting, low interest in food, and binge eating. Additionally, six of the seven ACE categories exhibited a statistically significant association with DEBs which included parent or guardian divorced, parent or guardian time in jail, adults slap, hit, kick, punch others, victim of violence, lived with mentally ill, and lived with person with alcohol/drug problem. Further studies are needed to examine mechanisms contributing to the increased risk of DEBs among those with ACE exposure.

Keywords: Adolescence; Adverse childhood experiences; Disordered eating behaviors; Eating disorders.