Psychopathological symptom severity and parent-child age differences in patients with eating disorders

Although family factors affecting the development of eating disorders (EDs) have been extensively studied, it is unknown whether the age gaps between the parents and their affected child have an impact on the overall psychopathological symptom severity.

In a cohort of 510 consecutive study participants diagnosed with an ED and treated between 1991 and 2017, we examined the associations between parent-patient age gaps and scores from the self-report Global Severity Index (GSI), which measures overall psychopathological distress and symptom severity of the nine psychopathological themes of the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R).

In univariate analysis, the GSI scores correlated significantly and negatively between the ED-affected child and the age gap to both the mother (r = -0.119, p = 0.007) and the father (r = -0.108, p = 0.017). Regression models adjusted for body mass index, living in the parental home, and the education level of the patient as clinically relevant confounders confirmed the significant relationship between the overall psychological distress and the age difference to the mother (exp(β) = -0.091, 95% confidence interval [CI] = -0.022-0.000, p = 0.049). In addition, using the same set of confounders, there was a trend toward an association between GSI scores and the paternal age difference to the ED-diagnosed patients (exp(β) = -0.086, 95% CI = -0.018-0.000, p = 0.063).

The symptom severity is more pronounced in cases of a smaller age gap between the parents and their ED-affected child. In multivariate analysis, a significant association was found between a higher self-rated symptom severity and a smaller maternal age difference to the patient. Future studies should thoroughly investigate the influence of parents' age on their offspring's EDs in search of potential underlying mechanisms.