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Do parental traumatic experiences have a role in the psychological functioning of early adolescents with binge eating disorder?

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Eating and Weight Disorders - Studies on Anorexia, Bulimia and Obesity Aims and scope Submit manuscript

An Erratum to this article was published on 27 February 2017

Abstract

Purpose

Few studies have addressed the psychological characteristics of adolescents with binge eating disorder (BED). No research has focused on the psychological functioning of these adolescents’ parents or on the prevalence of traumatic experiences among them.

Methods

In this study, 202 adolescents aged 11–13 and their parents were recruited from mental health clinics to complete the youth self-report (YSR), the response evaluation measure for youth (REM-71), the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), the Symptom Check-List (SCL-90-R), and the traumatic experience checklist (TEC).

Results

Female adolescents scored higher than males on withdrawal, internalizing problems, dissociation, and somatization subscales. Boys scored higher than girls on externalizing problems and acting out subscales. Maternal depression predicted withdrawal and dissociation in female adolescents. Maternal sexual abuse predicted social problems in males and self-destructive behaviors in females. Paternal physical abuse predicted delinquent behavior and acting out in males.

Conclusions

Our data suggest that parental traumatic experiences play a role in their offspring’s mental health; the data also showed different psychopathological configurations in male and female adolescents with BED and their parents, suggesting the development of prevention and treatment polices specific to gender.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Uninettuno International Telematic University, Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, 39, Rome, Italy

    Cerniglia Luca

  2. Sapienza, University of Rome, Rome, Italy

    Cimino Silvia, Ballarotto Giulia & Tambelli Renata

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  1. Cerniglia Luca
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  2. Cimino Silvia
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All procedures performed in this study involving human participants were conducted in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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An erratum to this article is available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s40519-016-0354-9.

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Luca, C., Silvia, C., Giulia, B. et al. Do parental traumatic experiences have a role in the psychological functioning of early adolescents with binge eating disorder?. Eat Weight Disord 21, 635–644 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-016-0303-7

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