Eating Disorders, Co-Morbid Disorders and Early Risk Factors Amongst Post-9/11 Veteran Men and Women.

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Veterans' Health
• Eating Disorders

Background:

• Eating disorders (EDs) are prevalent mental health conditions.
• Recent veterans represent a unique population with potential exposure to specific stressors.
• Comorbid psychiatric disorders often accompany EDs, complicating treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the prevalence of DSM-5 eating disorders in a national sample of recent veterans.
• To identify comorbid psychiatric disorders in veterans with eating disorders.
• To explore military-specific risk factors associated with eating disorder onset.

Main Methods:

• A two-stage study design was employed, involving screening questionnaires and in-person interviews.
• 1494 veterans were sampled to identify probable cases and controls.
• Data on pre-existing and military-related risk factors were collected.

Main Results:

• The weighted prevalence of any eating disorder was 5.2% among recent veterans.
• Anorexia nervosa (0.01%), bulimia nervosa (0.6%), binge eating disorder (1.4%), and other specified ED (1.6%) were identified.
• 86.8% of confirmed ED cases had at least one comorbid psychiatric disorder; military risk factors were not significantly associated with ED onset in this sample.

Conclusions:

• Eating disorder prevalence and comorbid psychiatric conditions in recent veterans are comparable to non-veteran populations.
• The high rate of comorbid disorders, particularly PTSD, necessitates adapting current treatments for veterans.
• Longitudinal studies are needed to investigate maintaining factors, including military influences, for improved treatment development.