Locked down with my eating disorder: a retrospective study on the impact of COVID-19 lockdown on adolescents with eating disorders

Journal of Eating Disorders · 3 authors, 3 centres

AI SUMMARY

FIDELITY 100%

This summary was generated by AI from a single paper. It has not been reviewed by a clinician and is not clinical advice. Verify against the source before acting on it.

AGENT 01 · STRUCTURED SUMMARY

TRACE TO SOURCE

“

TL;DR

Patients with anorexia nervosa and older adolescents were more likely to report worsening symptoms.

Full summary

546 CHARS

The study assessed the impact of the first COVID-19 lockdown on FED symptoms. Central results showed that 46.7% of participants reported a positive effect on symptomatology, while 53.3% reported worsening. Younger patients (11–13 years) showed greater improvement compared to older ones (14–18 years). For 60.7% of newly evaluated patients, lockdown was a precipitating factor for FED onset. The findings suggest the lockdown had a mixed impact, with a positive effect for some youth already in treatment, but it was also a trigger for new cases.

STUDY TYPE

cohort

SPECIALTY

pediatrics

SUMMARISED BY

AI pipeline

FIDELITY CHECK

100% · A

ORIGINAL PAPER

PMC10171150

Locked down with my eating disorder: a retrospective study on the impact of COVID-19 lockdown on adolescents with eating disorders

Journal of Eating Disorders

READ THE FULL PAPER

ABSTRACT

Abstract Background Negative effects of COVID-19 lockdowns have been reported in adult patients with feeding and eating disorders (FED) whereas evidence of its impact on young clinical populations is still limited and somewhat inconsistent. The present study aims to investigate the effect of the first COVID-19 lockdown on a range of FED symptoms in children and adolescents: (a) already receiving treatment in our specialist service for FED when the pandemic hit, and (b) prospectively evaluated in our service from October 2020 to July 2021. Methods Out of sixty-one eligible patients with a broad spectrum of FED invited, forty-five young patients (aged 11–18) consented to participate and were included. An ad-hoc survey, consisting of open questions, multiple choice questions, yes/no questions, and a symptoms checklist, was administered online. Results About half of the participants (46.7%) reported a positive effect of lockdown on FED symptomatology. Patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) reported the highest rate of symptomatology worsening (58.6%). Younger patients (11–13 years) showed a greater improvement of symptoms compared to older ones (14–18 years of age). COVID-19 lockdown was identified as the precipitating factor for FED onset in 60.7% of newly evaluated patients. Conclusions Evidence from our investigation points out that although the COVID-19 pandemic was a precipitating factor for a FED for many active and newly referred patients, it had a positive impact on youth who were already in treatment and younger participants. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40337-023-00792-1. Keywords: Eating disorders, Adolescents, Children, COVID-19, Lockdown, Pandemic, Anorexia nervosa, Bulimia nervosa, Binge eating disorder

CITATION EXPORT

Bianca Borsarini, Edoardo Pappaianni, Nadia Micali. Locked down with my eating disorder: a retrospective study on the impact of COVID-19 lockdown on adolescents with eating disorders. Journal of Eating Disorders. (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40337-023-00792-1

AUTHORS

3 · 3 CENTRES

Bianca Borsarini, Edoardo Pappaianni, Nadia Micali

1Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
2Center for Eating and feeding Disorders Research (CEDaR), Psychiatric Centre Ballerup, Mental Health Services in the Capital Region of Denmark, Maglevænget 32, 2750 Ballerup, Denmark
3Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, UK