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Feeding disorders of infancy: a longitudinal study to middle childhood

Massimo Ammaniti1, Loredana Lucarelli, Silvia Cimino

  • 1Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, Sapienza, University of Rome, Roma, Italy. massimo.ammaniti@uniroma1.it

The International Journal of Eating Disorders
|April 16, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Children with Infantile Anorexia (IA) show persistent feeding and emotional issues, alongside maternal distress, even by eight years old. Untreated IA impacts long-term child and mother well-being.

Area of Science:

  • Child Psychology
  • Developmental Pediatrics
  • Eating Disorders

Background:

  • Infantile Anorexia (IA) is a complex feeding disorder in early childhood.
  • Longitudinal data on IA's long-term impact on behavior and maternal well-being is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To track feeding behavior and emotional-behavioral functioning in children with IA versus typically developing peers.
  • To examine the link between maternal psychological state and child outcomes in IA.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective evaluation of 72 children with IA and 70 controls.
  • Assessments conducted at ages two, five, and eight years.

Main Results:

  • Children with IA showed partial nutritional improvement but persistent eating problems.
  • Ongoing emotional-behavioral issues (anxiety, withdrawal, social problems) were observed in IA group.
  • Significant correlations found between child eating/emotional problems and maternal distress/eating attitudes.

Conclusions:

  • Untreated IA course involves persistent eating and emotional adjustment difficulties for children.
  • Maternal psychological functioning is closely linked to persistent challenges in children with IA.
  • Longitudinal studies highlight the enduring nature of IA's impact on families.
Abstract

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