Objective Involvement in bullying and teasing has been associated with adverse health outcomes, including eating disorders (EDs). The purpose of this systematic review and meta‐analysis was to examine the association between bullying/teasing and EDs. Method A systematic search was conducted. We included research articles that examined the association between bullying/teasing (victimization and perpetration) and EDs. Studies were required to compare ED cases with a reference group. We performed a qualitative synthesis of included studies. Additionally, a random‐effects meta‐analysis of odds ratios were performed to compare rates of bullying/teasing victimization between cases and healthy controls. Results A total of 22 studies were included for review. Compared to healthy controls, those with EDs were significantly more likely to have been bullied and teased. Evidence of this association was particularly strong for bulimia nervosa and binge‐eating disorder, but was more mixed for anorexia nervosa. It was unclear whether such victimization was more common in EDs compared to psychiatric controls. The meta‐analysis showed that compared to healthy controls, those with EDs were twofold to threefold significantly more likely to have been teased about their appearance and bullied prior to onset of their ED. Few studies examined bullying perpetration. A number of methodological shortcomings of studies were noted. Discussion Being victimized through bullying and teasing is associated with EDs, and may constitute a risk factor. Our review underscores the need for more studies, and highlights gaps in the literature. As many patients have been victims of bullying and teasing, addressing such experiences in treatment may be valuable.

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The pathophysiology of anorexia nervosa (AN) is not completely understood, but research suggests that alterations in brain circuits related to cognitive control and emotion are central. The aim of this study was to explore neural responses to an emotional conflict task in women recovered from AN. Functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to measure neural responses to an emotional conflict task in 22 women recovered from AN and 21 age-matched healthy controls. The task involved categorizing affective faces while ignoring affective words. Face and word stimuli were either congruent (non-conflict) or incongruent (conflict). Brain responses to emotional conflict did not differ between groups. However, in response to emotional non-conflict, women recovered from AN relative to healthy controls showed significantly less activation in the bilateral amygdala. Specifically, while emotional non-conflict evoked significant activations of the amygdala in healthy controls, recovered AN women did not show such activations. Similar significant group differences were also observed in the hippocampus and basal ganglia. These results suggest that women recovered from AN are characterized by alterations within emotion-related brain circuits. Recovered women's absence of amygdala and hippocampus activation during non-conflict trials possibly reflects an impaired ability to process emotional significant stimuli.

Background. Disturbed eating behavior and psychosocial variables have been found to influence metabolic control, but little is known about how these variables interact or how they influence metabolic control, separately and combined. Objective. To explore associations between metabolic control (measured by HbA1c) and eating disorder psychopathology, coping strategies, illness perceptions, and insulin beliefs in adolescents with type 1 diabetes. Methods. A total of 105 patients (41.9% males) with type 1 diabetes (12–20 years) were interviewed with the Child Eating Disorder Examination. In addition, self-report psychosocial questionnaires were completed. Clinical data, including HbA1c, was obtained from the Norwegian Childhood Diabetes Registry. Results. Significant gender differences were demonstrated. Among females, HbA1c correlated significantly with eating restriction (.29, p < .05), the illness perception dimensions consequences, personal control, coherence, and concern (ranging from .33 to .48), and the coping strategy ventilating negative feelings (−.26, p < .05). Illness perception personal control contributed significantly to HbA1c in a regression model, explaining 23% of the variance among females (β .48, p < .001). None of the variables were significantly associated with HbA1c among males. Conclusions. Illness perceptions appear to be important contributors to metabolic control in females, but not males, with type 1 diabetes.