Relationships Between Childhood Abuse and Eating Pathology Among Individuals with Binge-Eating Disorder: examining the Moderating Roles of Self-Discrepancy and Self-Directed Style.

Childhood maltreatment appears to increase the risk for eating disorders (EDs). The current study examined potential moderating factors (i.e., self-discrepancy and negative self-directed style), which may increase or decrease the impact of maltreatment (i.e., emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse) on later ED symptoms. One hundred seven men and women with binge-eating disorder (BED) completed semi-structured interviews and questionnaires assessing childhood maltreatment, self-discrepancy, negative self-directed style, and ED pathology. Linear regression was used to examine the moderating role of self-discrepancy and negative self-directed style in the associations between each type of abuse and level of ED severity. Actual:ought self-discrepancy (i.e., the difference between one's self and who one believes they ought to be) moderated the relationships between ED pathology and emotional abuse (ß =.26 p =.007), as well as physical abuse (ß =.23, p =.02). Results suggest that the relationship between childhood abuse (i.e., emotional abuse, physical abuse) and ED pathology may be stronger for those with higher levels of actual:ought self-discrepancy. Further clarification of the relationships between actual:ought self-discrepancy and distinct forms of childhood abuse is needed, as well as intervention studies examining whether targeting actual:ought self-discrepancy provides an additional benefit for trauma-exposed individuals with BED.

The Role of Children's PTSD Symptomatology in Non-Offending Caregivers' Secondary Traumatic Stress Symptomatology Following Disclosures of Sexual or Physical Abuse.

This research examined factors influencing levels of secondary traumatic stress (STS) in non-offending caregivers (NOCs) of children with histories of sexual or physical abuse. These factors included the nature of the abuse, NOCs' relationships with the initiators of the abuse, children's ages and genders, NOCs' trauma histories, and the elapsed time between children's disclosures of abuse and their trauma assessments. As a secondary objective, this research examined the interactions between children's self-reports of their own posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomatology, NOCs' estimates of their children's PTSD symptomatology, and NOCs' self-reports of their own STS symptomatology. Participants from a clinical sample (N = 300, children = 150, NOCs = 150; child age M = 9.89, SD = 4.08; NOC age M = 37.87, SD = 9.23) completed structured intake interviews, the PTSD Checklist for the DSM-5 (PCL-5) and the Child PTSD Symptom Scale (CPSS; Child-Report and NOC-Report). Analytic strategies included point-biserial correlation coefficient calculations, linear regression analyses, and Analyses of Covariance (ANCOVAs). NOCs' levels of STS were impacted by their relationships with the initiators of the abuse and their own trauma histories. NOCs' self-reported STS symptomatology mirrored their estimates of their children's PTSD symptomatology. The discrepancy scores between children's self-reports of their PTSD symptomatology and NOCs' estimates of children's PTSD symptomatology were impacted by children's ages and genders. Clinical practitioners should note the importance of examining children's PTSD symptomatology and NOCs' STS symptomatology concurrently when making recommendations for trauma-informed evidence-based treatments.

Past-Year Abuse and Eating Disorder Symptoms Among U.S. College Students.

Evidence consistently indicates associations between eating disorders (EDs) and childhood emotional, physical, and sexual abuse, but the relationship between EDs and abuse occurring later in development has largely been unexplored. Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine associations between past-year abuse and ED symptoms among college students. Participants represented 12 U.S. colleges and universities participating in the Healthy Bodies Study (HBS) between 2013 and 2015 (N = 10,204; Mage = 23.38 years). Students self-reported experiences of emotional, physical, and sexual abuse over the past year. Cognitive ED symptoms (i.e., dietary restraint, shape/weight overvaluation, body dissatisfaction) were measured via the Short-Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire (S-EDE-Q), and behavioral ED symptoms (i.e., binge eating, purging) were measured via items from the full EDE-Q. Regression models that adjusted for demographics and weight status were conducted to examine associations between past-year abuse and ED symptoms. Past-year emotional, physical, and sexual abuse each exhibited independent associations with ED symptoms. When mutually adjusting for emotional, physical, and sexual abuse, past-year emotional abuse was associated with higher levels of dietary restraint (b = 0.20, p = .02), shape/weight overvaluation (b = 0.85, p < .001), body dissatisfaction (b = 0.63, p < .001), binge eating (prevalence ratio [PR] = 1.23, p = .002), and purging (PR = 1.68, p < .001), and past-year sexual abuse was associated with shape/weight overvaluation (b = 0.35, p = .03) and purging (PR = 1.71, p = .009) but no other ED symptoms. No associations were observed for past-year physical abuse in mutually adjusted models. In summary, past-year emotional abuse emerged as a key correlate of all ED symptoms examined in this sample of U.S. college students, while past-year sexual abuse also emerged as a key correlate of shape/weight overvaluation and purging. Findings emphasize the need to screen for abuse and implement abuse prevention efforts on college campuses.