Background: Adolescents’ eating disorders have been explored through various conceptual and empirical models. Only recently, scientific literature in this area has more specifically investigated the role of relationships, with particular attention to family functioning. Objective: This paper reviews family relationships aspects of eating disorders in adolescence. Methods: A narrative literature review of relational issues in adolescents’ eating disorders was performed. Results: Empirical evidence of family relationships in adolescents’ eating disorders confirms the relevance of relational aspects in the development and maintenance of the pathology. In particular, the contribution of the relational-systemic approach is wide, suggesting the need to refer to the family context for a better understanding of adolescents’ sufferance. Additionally, the empirical contributions from the conceptual model of Developmental Psychopathology, highlighting the importance of risk and protection factors in family relationships, provides knowledge about the phenomenon of adolescents’ eating disorders in terms of complexity. Conclusions: An integrated relational model aimed to explore adolescents’ eating disorders is worthy of investigation to accomplish specific program of intervention.

Although several studies have addressed developmental trajectories from childhood to adolescence of internalizing/externalizing problems, limited attention has been given to underweight children. Two groups were recruited for this study from a community sample: underweight (Ug, N = 80, 50% female) and normal weight (NWg, N = 80, 50% female) to examine the developmental trajectories of body mass index and emotional-behavioral functioning of underweight children from the age two years, and their risk of eating disorder at early adolescence. The study was organized over four waves, each of three years. Pediatricians measured BMI, parents completed the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and the Eating Disorders Inventory-Referral Form (EDI-3-RF). Our results showed that children in the two groups recorded different BMI trajectories over time. In NWg, male and female subjects started from a higher BMI at T1 than their peers. In Ug, internalizing and externalizing problems in males and females remained higher than their peers at all points of assessment. Males and females in Ug scored higher than those in NWg on EDI-3-RF total score. Our results indicate a need for effective physical and psychological assessment of underweight children in community samples to prevent psychological difficulties and eating disorders in adolescence.

The prevalence of childhood overweight is a major social and public health issue, and primary assessment should focus on early and middle childhood, because weight gain in these phases constitutes a strong predictor of subsequent negative outcomes. Studies on community samples have shown that growth curves may follow linear or non-linear trajectories from early to middle childhood, and can differ based on sex. Overweight children may exhibit a combination of physiological and psychosocial issues, and several studies have demonstrated an association between overweight and internalizing/externalizing behavior. Nevertheless, there is a dearth of longitudinal studies on depressive and aggressive symptoms in children with high BMI. This study adopted a growth curve modeling over three phases to: (1) describe BMI trajectories in two groups of children aged 2–8 (overweight and normal weight) from a community sample; (2) describe the developmental trajectories of children’s aggressive and depressive symptoms from 2 to 8 years of age. Results indicate higher BMI in 2-year-old girls, with males catching up with them by age 8. While overweight females’ BMIs were consistently high, males’ increased at 5 and 8 years. The mean scores for aggressive symptoms at T1 (2 years of age) were the same in all subjects, but a significant deviation occurred from T1 to T2 in both samples, in divergent directions. With regards to children’s depressive symptoms, the two groups had different starting points, with normal weight children scoring lower than overweight youths. Overweight females showed lower depressive scores than overweight males at T1, but they surpassed boys before T2, and showed more maladaptive symptoms at T3. This study solicits professionals working in pediatric settings to consider overweight children’s psychopathological risk, and to be aware that even when children’s BMI does not increase from 2 to 8 years, their psychopathological symptoms may grow in intensity.

International literature has shown that adolescents represent the population most at risk of fatal and nonfatal motor vehicle collisions (MVCs). Adolescents’ alexithymic traits and significant use of immature defense strategies have been seen to play a key role. This study aimed to investigate the possible mediation role played by defense strategies use in the relationship between alexithymia and MVCs. Our sample consisted of 297 adolescents divided into four subgroups, based on the number of visits to the emergency department due to an MVC. We assessed adolescents’ alexithymic traits and defense strategies use through self-report instruments. Results showed that males reported a higher rate of MVCs than females. Higher rates of MVCs are associated with more alexithymic traits and maladaptive defense strategies use. Adolescents’ Acting Out and Omnipotence use significantly mediated the relationship between alexithymia and MVCs. Our findings suggest the recidivism of MVCs as an attempt to cope with emotional difficulties, with important clinical implications.

ObjectivesThe aim of this four waves 9-year longitudinal study was to examine aggressive/depressive symptoms trajectories in a sample of N = 90 children with overweight and a matched group of children with normal weight (subjects balanced by sex and sociodemographic characteristics). Weight and height were measured by pediatricians to calculate body mass index (BMI). Aggressive/depressive symptoms were measured through the Child Behavior Check-List filled out by children’s parents. Multilevel modeling was used to obtain the best fitting curves describing the change over time in aggression and depression scores. These analyses were performed by sex and group.ResultsChildren with overweight showed a general increase of aggressive symptoms over time, with a peak at 8 years of age in males, whereas scores of the control group decreased over time both in males and in females. Female children with overweight showed increasing levels of depressive symptoms, with a peak at 8 years of age; children with normal weight, instead, showed low scores at all assessment points. The results highlight the importance of considering the developmental trajectories of aggression and depression in children of different weight status.

Adolescents (aged 15-19) are involved in a high number of motor vehicle collisions (MVCs). MVCs are considered complex events that are influenced by personal characteristics and psychological functioning. We propose that adolescents' psychological functioning preceding road collisions could be associated with the accidents, which in turn could be similar to acting out caused by psychological discomfort. In this study, we want to verify whether the rates of MVCs among adolescents are associated with their emotional-behavioural functioning and low levels of family support. Specifically, the study aims to verify that adolescents involved in motorbike collisions show maladaptive emotional-behavioural functioning and difficulties in identifying and describing their own emotions. The sample was composed of N = 100 adolescents without a psychiatric diagnosis who attended an emergency department following a road accident. They filled out self-report questionnaires to assess their emotional-behavioural functioning , difficulties in identifying and describing their emotions (TAS-20, Toronto Alexithymia Scale) and perceived levels of family support (PFSE, Adolescents' Perceived Filial Self-efficacy). We divided the sample into three groups on the basis of the number of MVCs they had experienced. The results show that adolescents involved in more motorbike accidents presented with more maladaptive emotional-behavioural functioning and more difficulties in describing and identifying their emotions. Additionally, lower perceived family support predicted more maladaptive emotional-behavioural functioning (internalizing and externalizing difficulties) and difficulties in describing and identifying their emotions. We concluded that problematic psychological functioning (difficulties in identifying and describing their emotions) was associated with higher MVC rates in adolescents. Thus, MVCs among adolescents can be considered as a form of acting out caused by their own psychological state. Moreover, the level of family support, as perceived by adolescents, can be considered as a protective factor or as a risk factor for the development of adolescent disorders.

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International literature has studied the role of parental eating disorder (ED) on children development, highlighting that it constitutes a relevant risk factor for the onset of offspring's emotionalbehavioural problems. Limited attention has been given to parental Binge Eating Disorder (BED) and its impact on offspring's psychopathology. Thus, further investigations of this clinical manifestation as possible predictor of offspring's psychopathology are needed. The present study aimed to assess the maladaptive outcomes in children of parents with psychopathological risk and psychiatric diagnoses.Specifically, we intended to verify whether offspring of parents who were both diagnosed with BED showed higher affective and behavioural problems, compared with their peers with only one parent diagnosed with BED. We conducted a longitudinal study (T1 18 months old children; T2 36 months old children) on a sample of 100 Italian couple of parents and children (N total = 300), divided into three groups based on the presence of BED diagnosis. Group A, diagnosis in both parents; Group B, diagnosis only in the mothers; Group C, diagnosis only in the fathers. The presence of BED in one or both parents was associated with the emotional and behavioural development in offspring. Particularly, the diagnosis of BED in both parents had a direct effect on infants' affective problems. The offspring of parents diagnosed with BED were more likely to manifest emotional and behavioural difficulties and psychiatric symptoms within the first three years of life.