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Anorexia Nervosa in Adolescence: A Comprehensive Study of Multidimensional Factors Associated with Symptom Severity 1 Year Following the Diagnosis

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Abstract

The overarching goal of this study was to examine the unique contribution of psychological, familial, and friendship factors in explaining anorexia nervosa (AN) symptom severity 1 year following diagnosis among a sample of adolescent girls. A second objective was to determine whether friendship factors mediated the association between psychological and/or familial factors and AN symptom severity. This study included 143 adolescent girls under the age of 18 diagnosed with AN (M = 14.84, SD = 1.31). Participants were recruited from specialized eating disorder treatment programs. At admission (T1), participants completed a set of self-report questionnaires measuring psychological, familial, and friendship factors. AN symptom severity was assessed 1 year later (T2). Results of hierarchical regression analysis revealed that greater general psychological maladjustment at T1 (b = .26; se = .03; p = .00) was associated with greater AN symptom severity at T2. Greater alienation from friends at T1 (b = 1.20, se = .53, p = .03) also predicted greater AN symptom severity at T2, above and beyond the influence of adolescent girls’ general psychological maladjustment. Finally, the mediating role of alienation from friends in the association between general psychological maladjustment at T1 and AN symptom severity at T2 was also identified. AN is a multidimensional disorder with a prognosis that involves both psychological and social factors. The results stemming from the present study shed light on the role of peer as a mechanism through which general psychological maladjustment is linked to AN symptom severity 1 year following diagnosis.

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The ethics committees of the university hospital centers involved in the current study have very strict standards and do not allow data sharing.

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Funding

The research project was funded by the Canadian Institute of Health Research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychoeducation, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada

    Isabelle Thibault & Katherine Pascuzzo

  2. Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada

    Caroline Pesant

  3. Department of Psychology, Université Laval, Quebec, QC, Canada

    Catherine Bégin & Alexandra Bédard

  4. Montreal Children’s Hospital, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Giuseppina Di Meglio

  5. Department of Psychology, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Dominique Meilleur

  6. Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Sainte-Justine, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Danielle Taddeo

  7. Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Québec Université Laval, Quebec, QC, Canada

    Nathalie Gingras

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  1. Isabelle Thibault
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  2. Katherine Pascuzzo
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  3. Caroline Pesant
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  4. Catherine Bégin
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Contributions

IT and KP wrote the article and performed the statistical analyses. All other authors reviewed the article and contributed to the study (e.g., data collection).

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Isabelle Thibault.

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The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Ethical Approval

This project received ethical approval from all university hospital centers (Centre hospitalier universitaire de Sherbrooke, Montreal Children’s Hospital McGill University Health Centre, Centre hospitalier universitaire Sainte-Justine, Centre hospitalier universitaire de Québec Université Laval) in which the research was conducted.

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Thibault, I., Pascuzzo, K., Pesant, C. et al. Anorexia Nervosa in Adolescence: A Comprehensive Study of Multidimensional Factors Associated with Symptom Severity 1 Year Following the Diagnosis. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-023-01599-6

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