ReviewJournal of eating disorders2022
Changes of symptoms of eating disorders (ED) and their related psychological health issues during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Review in Journal of eating disorders, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 23 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
23 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 58 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pooled it
- COVID-19-related changes in eating disorder pathology, emotional and binge eating and need for care: a systematic review with frequentist and Bayesian meta-analyses.Eating and weight disorders : EWD · 2023Pooled it
- Impact of COVID-19 Lockdown on Psychopathology at the Onset of Eating Disorders.European eating disorders review : the journal of the Eating Disorders Association · 2026Article
- The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on eating disorder symptoms and COVID-19-related stress.Journal of eating disorders · 2026Article
- Trends in the Observed Versus Expected Incidence of Eating Disorders Before, During, and After the COVID-19 Pandemic: A National Patient Registry Study.The International journal of eating disorders · 2025Article
- Professional Digital Counselling for Eating Disorders in Germany: Results of the DigiBEssst Project Survey on the Perspectives and Experiences of Health Professionals, Individuals With Eating Disorders, and Carers.European eating disorders review : the journal of the Eating Disorders Association · 2025Article
- Comparison of depressive symptoms and eating behaviors among Japanese university students with subthreshold depression before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Article
- When time worsens framing: a longitudinal analysis of the psychological effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in women with an eating disorder and their healthy sisters.Archives of women's mental health · 2024Article
- Acute Abdomen as a Clinical Presentation of COVID-19-Associated Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children.Case reports in surgery · 2024Article
- Eating disorders symptoms and depressive symptoms in Chinese Tibetan University students: a network analysis.BMC psychiatry · 2023Article
- Let the Body Talk: Preliminary Data of an Open Trial of Dance Movement Therapy for Eating Disorders.Journal of clinical medicine · 2023Article
- Observational
- Current Discoveries and Future Implications of Eating Disorders.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Review
- Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic for the Well-Being of Emerging Adult Populations: A Synthesis of Findings From the COVID-19 Eating and Activity Over Time (C-EAT) Study.Emerging adulthood (Print) · 2023Review
- Change in adaptive and maladaptive exercise and objective physical activity throughout CBT for individuals with eating disorders.Eating and weight disorders : EWD · 2023Article
- Prevalence and Factors Associated with Eating Disorders in Military First Line of Defense against COVID-19: A Cross-Sectional Study during the Second Epidemic Wave in Peru.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- Exploring the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on perceptual disturbances and dysfunctional eating attitudes and behaviors: A review of the literature.Frontiers in psychology · 2023Review
- Admission rates and clinical profiles of children and youth with eating disorders treated as inpatients before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in a German university hospital.Frontiers in public health · 2023Article
- Changes in the psychosocial and clinical profiles of anorexia nervosa patients during the pandemic.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2023Article
- COVID-19 related familial economic disruptions and eating disorder patients' mental health concerns and motivation to recover.Journal of eating disorders · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 6 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic and its related social restrictions have profoundly affected people's mental health. It can be assumed that symptomatic behaviors and mental health of individuals with eating disorders (ED) deteriorated during this time. To get a thorough overview, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis with the following aims: First, to provide a comprehensive overview of symptoms of ED during the COVID-19-related confinement; second, to identify psychological mechanisms which impacted the emergence and maintenance of ED symptoms; third, to describe changes of daily routine and changes of access to healthcare in individuals with ED during confinement.
methodsWe searched Embase, PubMed, and Scopus databases for observational studies published between January 1st, 2020, to July 1st, 2021, which investigated the symptomatology of ED during the COVID-19 pandemic.
resultsAfter the screening, 13 studies with 7848 participants were included in the present systematic review and meta-analysis. The overall pooled prevalence of exacerbation of binge eating, food restriction, purging behaviors, and concerns about food intake in the pooled sample of 7848 was 59.65% (95% CI: 49.30%; 69.60%), and the overall prevalence of improved symptoms of ED in the pooled sample of 741 individuals was 9.37% (95% CI: 3.92%; 16.57%). Furthermore, COVID-19-related social restrictions negatively impacted the psychological health, daily routines, and physical activity of individuals with ED. More specifically, symptoms of anxiety and depression related to ED were increased significantly over time. However, there were also positive aspects to the COVID-19 pandemic. The main positive consequences included more emotional support from the family, less pressure to engage in social activities, and more flexible meal planning. Individuals with ED reported having difficulties getting access to healthcare centers and using telemedicine. They also found a hard time communicating via online sessions.
conclusionsAccording to our interpretation, based on the data included in the systematic review and meta-analysis, the COVID-19 pandemic and its related social restrictions detrimentally impacted the mental health of majority of individuals with ED. Limited and impaired access to healthcare interventions appeared to have further exacerbated mental health issues of individuals with ED. Given this background, it seems that individuals with ED demand more attention during the COVID-19 crisis, and it is necessary to ensure that their course of treatment remains uninterrupted.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.