ArticleJournal of eating disorders2022
Developmental trajectories of eating disorder symptoms: A longitudinal study from early adolescence to young adulthood.
Article 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 49 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
49 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Global Proportion of Disordered Eating in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.JAMA pediatrics · 2023Pooled it
- Mindfulness-based group intervention for adolescents with type 1 diabetes: initial findings from a pilot and feasibility randomized controlled trial.Journal of pediatric psychology · 2024Trial
- Increasing social media use trajectories are linked to greater eating disorder symptoms.Annals of epidemiology · 2026Article
- Effectiveness of universal secondary school-based interventions addressing the psychological risk factors of eating disorders in adolescents: a systematic review.Journal of eating disorders · 2026Review
- Associations Between Adverse Childhood Experiences and Disordered Eating in US Youth: The PLATE Study.JAACAP open · 2026Article
- Clinical Trajectories Associated with Pharmacological Treatment Patterns in Female Adolescents with Anorexia Nervosa: A 12-Month Retrospective Study in Italian Real-World Clinical Practice.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Article
- Eating disorders among college students in China: prevalence, correlates, and its relationship with suicide risk.Journal of eating disorders · 2026Article
- Changes in eating disorder symptoms and influential factors among Chinese college students: a four-wave longitudinal study.Journal of eating disorders · 2026Article
- The effects of waiting time for outpatient psychotherapeutic interventions on patient-reported outcomes in adolescents and adults with eating disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of eating disorders · 2026Review
- Clinical characteristics linked to persistent and emerging eating disorder risk trajectories in young people seeking mental health care.European child & adolescent psychiatry · 2026Article
- Understanding eating disorders in French undergraduate students: gender gaps, lifestyle factors, and barriers to care.Eating and weight disorders : EWD · 2026Article
- Eating Disorder Risk and Its Biobehavioural Correlates in Italian University Students: The UniFoodWaste Study.Nutrients · 2026Article
- "Everyone knows everyone": a qualitative examination of influences of eating disorder risk among rural US adolescents.Journal of eating disorders · 2026Article
- Multivariate Trajectories of Eating Disorder Symptoms and Weight Status in 10- to 17-Year-Old Children and Adolescents.The International journal of eating disorders · 2026Article
- Development and validation of a short form of the Yale Food Addiction Scale 2.0 in adolescents.Journal of eating disorders · 2026Article
- Young Adults' Interactions With Food and Nutrition Content on Social Media and Implications for Intervention Design: Semistructured Interview Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Article
- Development of Disordered Weight Control Behaviors and Its Progression to Eating Disorders in Canada: A Nationally Representative Microsimulation.The International journal of eating disorders · 2026Article
- Body-Image Discrepancy and Disordered Eating in Children Aged 10-12: The Roles of Gender, BMI, and Thinness-Related Attributions.Nutrients · 2026Article
- Muscle dysmorphia in adolescents and young adults.The Lancet. Child & adolescent health · 2026Review
- The Use of Combined Oral Contraceptives for ˃6 Months Is Not Associated with Body Fat or Bone Density, Regardless of Dietary Differences-A Pilot Study.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2026Article
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8 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundAdolescence is a critical period for the development of eating disorders, but data is lacking on the heterogeneity of their evolution during that time-period. Group-based trajectories can be used to understand how eating disorders emerge and evolve over time. The aim of this study was to identify groups of individuals with distinct levels of eating disorder symptoms between 12 and 20 years and the onset of different types of symptoms. We also studied sex differences in the evolution and course of eating disorder symptoms from early adolescence to adulthood.
methodsUsing archival data from the QLSCD cohort, trajectories of eating disorder symptomatology were estimated from ages 12 to 20 years using semiparametric models. These trajectories included overall eating disorder symptomatology as measured by the SCOFF (Sick, Control, One Stone, Fat, Food), sex, and symptom-specific trajectories.
resultsTwo groups of adolescents following distinct trajectories of eating disorder symptoms were identified. The first trajectory group included 30.9% of youth with sharply rising levels between 12 and 15 years, followed by high levels of symptoms between 15 and 20 years. The second trajectory group included 69.1% of youth with low and stable levels of symptoms between 12 and 20 years. Sex-specific models indicated that the proportion of girls in the high trajectory group was 1.3 times higher than the proportion of boys (42.8% girls vs. 32.3% boys). Trajectories of SCOFF items were similar for loss-of-control eating, feeling overweight, and attributing importance to food. The weight loss item had a different developmental pattern, increasing between 12 and 15 years and then decreasing between 17 and 20 years.
conclusionsThe largest increase in eating disorder symptoms in adolescence is between the ages of 12 and 15 . Yet, most prevention programs start after 15 years of age. Our findings suggest that, unlike common practices, eating disorder prevention programs should aim to start before puberty.
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