Influence of stress in the onset of eating disorders: data from a two-stage epidemiologic controlled study

We explore the role of stress in the onset of eating disorders (EDs) in a community sample of adolescents, the mediating role of psychiatric comorbidity and the quantitative evolution of stress in the year preceding the onset of an ED.

The Life Events and Difficulties Schedule interview was applied to a sample with 32 cases and 32 controls selected from a two-phase epidemiologic study among a representative population of adolescents, followed by a decay model to assess acute and chronic stress in the year preceding the onset of ED. Psychiatric comorbidity was assessed using the SCAN interview.

Cases (46.9%) and 9.4% of controls were found to have associated psychiatric comorbidity (chi2 = 11.74, p = .001). Of cases, 6.3% and none of the controls had at least one severe stressful event (N.S). Of cases, 18.8% and 3.1% of controls had at least one major difficulty (Fisher exact test = 0.05). Of cases, 25% and 3.1% of controls had a provoking stressful agent (Fisher exact test = 0.026). Psychiatric comorbidity partially mediated the relationship between stress and EDs. The Structural Equation Modeling Analysis shows that chronic stress is strongly associated with the onset of EDs, both directly (r(2) = 0.38) and indirectly, through psychiatric comorbidity (r2 = 0.56).

Chronic stress and psychiatric comorbidity are strongly associated with the onset of EDs. Psychiatric comorbidity is a partial mediating factor in the association of stress with eating disorders.