Increased rates of eating disorders and their symptoms in women with major depressive disorder and anxiety disorders.

BACKGROUND: Individuals with eating disorders (EDs) have increased rates of major depressive disorder (MDD) and anxiety disorders. Yet, few studies have investigated rates of EDs and their symptoms in individuals presenting with MDD/anxiety disorders. Identifying potential disordered eating in people with MDD/anxiety disorders is important because even subclinical disordered eating is associated with reduced quality of life, and undiagnosed eating pathology may hinder treatment progress for both MDD/anxiety disorders and comorbid EDs. METHOD: We compared rates of EDs (anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge-eating disorder, and other specified feeding and eating disorders) and their symptoms in 130 women with, and 405 women without, lifetime MDD or an anxiety disorder (generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, social phobia, specific phobia, panic disorder, agoraphobia, or post-traumatic stress disorder) recruited from the population-based Michigan State University Twin Registry. Lifetime ED and MDD/anxiety diagnoses, and lifetime clinically significant disordered eating behaviors (e.g., binge eating, excessive exercise) were assessed using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID). RESULTS: Among participants with lifetime MDD or any anxiety disorder, 13% met criteria for a lifetime ED and 39% reported engaging in at least one lifetime clinically significant disordered eating behavior (e.g., binge eating) on the SCID. In contrast, only 3% of participants without a history of MDD/an anxiety disorder met criteria for a lifetime ED, and only 11% reported lifetime clinically significant disordered eating behavior. DISCUSSION: Our findings suggest that women with MDD and anxiety disorders have elevated rates of EDs, and it is therefore imperative to screen for disordered eating in these populations.

Convergence in maternal and child reports of impulsivity, depressive symptoms, and trait anxiety, and their predictive utility for binge-eating behaviors.

OBJECTIVE: Early detection of binge-eating (BE) behaviors and their risk factors is associated with better outcomes. A multi-informant approach for assessing BE psychopathology and risk factors has been emphasized to increase the probability and accuracy of early detection. Impulsivity (particularly negative and positive urgency), trait anxiety, and depressive symptoms are associated with BE behaviors. The present study examined maternal-child convergence of reports of child BE, impulsivity, trait anxiety, and depressive symptoms and examined the predictive power of maternal reports for child-reported BE behaviors. METHOD: Participants included 927 female twins (aged 8-16 years) and 468 mothers from the Michigan State University Twin Registry. Risk factors and BE were assessed with self-report questionnaires. RESULTS: Intraclass correlation coefficients showed fair-to-moderate inter-rater agreement (ICCs = .31-.41) between maternal and child reports of risk factors and low-to-fair agreement for BE (ICCs = .05-.29). Controlling for the effects of age, pubertal status, body mass index, and family relatedness, multilevel models showed that maternal reports of child impulsivity, anxiety, and depressive symptoms did not add predictive power above and beyond child reports. DISCUSSION: Results call into question the utility and practical implications of using maternal reports to supplement child reports for BE and its risk factors.

Is relational aggression part of the externalizing spectrum? a bifactor model of youth antisocial behavior.

The primary purpose of the present study was to examine support for the inclusion of relational aggression (RAgg) alongside physical aggression (Agg) and rule-breaking behaviors (RB) as a subfactor of antisocial behavior (ASB). Caregiver reports were collected for 1,087 youth (48.9% male) ages 6-18. Results indicated that all three subfactors of ASB demonstrated substantial loadings on a general ASB factor. Using a bifactor model approach, specific factors representing each ASB subfactor were simultaneously modeled, allowing for examination of common and specific correlates. At the scale level, results demonstrated consistently strong connections with high Neuroticism and low Agreeableness across all 3 ASB subfactors, a pattern which was replicated for the general ASB factor in the bifactor approach. Specific factors in the bifactor model demonstrated connections with personality and psychopathology correlates, primarily for Agg. These findings provide some support for an overall grouping of RAgg with other ASB subfactors in youth, and further distinguish Agg as potentially representing a more potent variant of youth ASB relative to both RB and RAgg.