Childhood abuse and disordered eating behaviors in female college students: how does depression and anxiety come from?

PURPOSE: This study examines the relationship among childhood abuse, disordered eating behaviors, depression, and anxiety in female college students. It also investigates the mediating role of disordered eating in the relationship between childhood abuse and depression, as well as anxiety.

METHODS

832 female college students were evaluated with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI) and Personal Report of Childhood Abuse (PRCA).

RESULTS

Depression and anxiety was significantly positively correlated with childhood abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse and neglect, and was significantly positively correlated with disordered eating. Disordered eating was significantly positively correlated with childhood maltreatment, physical maltreatment, emotional maltreatment and neglect. Disordered eating mediated the relationship between childhood abuse and depression, as well as between childhood abuse and anxiety.

CONCLUSION

Childhood abuse is positively associated with depression and anxiety, both directly and indirectly through the mediating effect of disordered eating. This provides a new perspective for interventions aimed at alleviating the symptoms of depression and anxiety in individuals with a history of childhood abuse.