Impact of COVID-19 Lockdown in Eating Disorders: A Multicentre Collaborative International Study.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 lockdown has had a significant impact on mental health. Patients with eating disorders (ED) have been particularly vulnerable. AIMS: (1) To explore changes in eating-related symptoms and general psychopathology during lockdown in patients with an ED from various European and Asian countries; and (2) to assess differences related to diagnostic ED subtypes, age, and geography. METHODS: The sample comprised 829 participants, diagnosed with an ED according to DSM-5 criteria from specialized ED units in Europe and Asia. Participants were assessed using the COVID-19 Isolation Scale (CIES). RESULTS: Patients with binge eating disorder (BED) experienced the highest impact on weight and ED symptoms in comparison with other ED subtypes during lockdown, whereas individuals with other specified feeding and eating disorders (OFSED) had greater deterioration in general psychological functioning than subjects with other ED subtypes. Finally, Asian and younger individuals appeared to be more resilient. CONCLUSIONS: The psychopathological changes in ED patients during the COVID-19 lockdown varied by cultural context and individual variation in age and ED diagnosis. Clinical services may need to target preventive measures and adapt therapeutic approaches for the most vulnerable patients.

COVID Isolation Eating Scale (CIES): Analysis of the impact of confinement in eating disorders and obesity-A collaborative international study.

Confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic is expected to have a serious and complex impact on the mental health of patients with an eating disorder (ED) and of patients with obesity. The present manuscript has the following aims: (1) to analyse the psychometric properties of the COVID Isolation Eating Scale (CIES), (2) to explore changes that occurred due to confinement in eating symptomatology; and (3) to explore the general acceptation of the use of telemedicine during confinement. The sample comprised 121 participants (87 ED patients and 34 patients with obesity) recruited from six different centres. Confirmatory Factor Analyses (CFA) tested the rational-theoretical structure of the CIES. Adequate goodness-of-fit was obtained for the confirmatory factor analysis, and Cronbach alpha values ranged from good to excellent. Regarding the effects of confinement, positive and negative impacts of the confinement depends of the eating disorder subtype. Patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) and with obesity endorsed a positive response to treatment during confinement, no significant changes were found in bulimia nervosa (BN) patients, whereas Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder (OSFED) patients endorsed an increase in eating symptomatology and in psychopathology. Furthermore, AN patients expressed the greatest dissatisfaction and accommodation difficulty with remote therapy when compared with the previously provided face-to-face therapy. The present study provides empirical evidence on the psychometric robustness of the CIES tool and shows that a negative confinement impact was associated with ED subtype, whereas OSFED patients showed the highest impairment in eating symptomatology and in psychopathology.

Validation of the Caregiver Skills (CASK) scale in Catalonia: Concordance between caregivers in attitudes and behaviours.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to validate a Spanish version of the Caregiver Skills scale (CASK) in a sample of eating disorder (ED) caregivers. A further aim was to examine the concordance/discrepancy between them (namely, between the mothers and fathers of ED patients). METHOD: Two hundred sixty-five ED caregivers were recruited from ED centers in Catalonia, Spain. Confirmatory factor analyses was used to test the factorial structure of the CASK scale. Cronbach's α was used to measure internal consistency of the CASK scales. A comparison of the CASK measures between respondents (mothers and fathers) was conducted using generalized estimating equations. RESULTS: Confirmatory factor analysis of the Spanish version of the CASK corroborated the strong factorial validity of the 6 factors of the original CASK questionnaire. Mothers and fathers did not differ significantly on CASK overall and subscale scores. There was however less concordance between parents on the bigger picture (ICC = 0.28) and biting your tongue (ICC = 0.08) subscales. CONCLUSIONS: The CASK is a valid tool to assess ED-related attitudes in Spanish-speaking caregivers. Furthermore, caregivers and patients alike could stand to benefit from interventions focused on improving areas such as ED beliefs, effective communication, quality of life, and emotional distancing.