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Do eating disorders in parents predict eating disorders in children? Evidence from a S wedish cohort
Author(s) -
Bould H.,
Sovio U.,
Koupil I.,
Dalman C.,
Micali N.,
Lewis G.,
Magnusson C.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
acta psychiatrica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.849
H-Index - 146
eISSN - 1600-0447
pISSN - 0001-690X
DOI - 10.1111/acps.12389
Subject(s) - eating disorders , cohort , medicine , confounding , offspring , cohort study , psychiatry , bulimia nervosa , disordered eating , pediatrics , demography , pregnancy , biology , genetics , sociology
Objective We investigated whether parental eating disorders ( ED ) predict ED in children, using a large multigeneration register‐based sample. Method We used a subset of the Stockholm Youth Cohort born 1984–1995 and resident in Stockholm County in 2001–2007 ( N = 286 232), The exposure was a diagnosed eating disorder in a parent; the outcome was any eating disorder diagnosis in their offspring, given by a specialist clinician, or inferred from an appointment at a specialist eating disorder clinic. A final study sample of 158 697 (55.4%) had data on these variables and confounding factors and contributed a total of 886 241 person years to the analysis. Results We found good evidence in support of the hypothesis that ED in either parent are independently associated with ED in their female children ( HR 1.97 (95% CI : 1.17–3.33), P = 0.01) and that ED in mothers are independently associated with ED in their female children ( HR 2.35 (95% CI : 1.39–3.97) P = 0.001). Numbers were too low to permit separate analysis of ED in parents and their male children. Conclusion Eating disorders in parents were associated with ED in children. This study adds to our knowledge about the intergenerational transmission of ED , which will help identify high‐risk groups and brings about the possibility of targeted prevention.