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Links between psychopathological symptoms and disordered eating behaviors in overweight/obese youths
Author(s) -
PauliPott Ursula,
Becker Katja,
Albayrak Özgür,
Hebebrand Johannes,
Pott Wilfried
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
international journal of eating disorders
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.785
H-Index - 138
eISSN - 1098-108X
pISSN - 0276-3478
DOI - 10.1002/eat.22055
Subject(s) - overweight , psychopathology , anxiety , disordered eating , binge eating , psychology , eating disorders , depression (economics) , emotional eating , clinical psychology , binge eating disorder , obesity , psychiatry , psychological intervention , medicine , eating behavior , bulimia nervosa , economics , macroeconomics
Objective: Among overweight and obese youths, rates of depression, anxiety disorders, attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) are elevated. We analyze whether these emotional and behavioral problems are associated with specifically disordered eating pattern. Method: Participants in the study were 128 overweight and obese children/adolescents (BMI: m = 29.3, s = 4.5; BMI‐SDS: m = 2.5, s = 0.4) between 8 and 15 years. Structured psychiatric assessments were conducted adopting a multimethod, multiinformant approach. Results: Children/adolescents with ODD symptoms showed increased eating in response to external cues and binge eating. ADHD symptoms were not associated with disordered eating behaviors. Children/adolescents with symptoms of depression and anxiety showed emotional and binge eating. In particular, overweight girls with symptoms of depression showed restrained eating. Discussion: Our results point to specific eating problems in overweight/obese children with ODD and depression/anxiety symptoms. The findings could help to tailor interventions to optimally meet the specific needs of overweight children with emotional and behavioral problems. © 2012 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. (Int J Eat Disord 2013)