Clinical, Psychological and Personality Features Related to Age of Onset of Anorexia Nervosa

Abstract

Background: To investigate the relationship between age of onset and clinical and personality features of patients with anorexia nervosa (AN). Sampling andMethod: We assessed 250 outpatients with AN with the Temperament and Character Inventory, the Eating Disorder Inventory 2, the Beck Depression Inventory and the Body Shape Questionnaire. The patients were subdivided into 3 groups: early (n = 73), intermediate (n = 96) and late onset (n = 81), based on age of onset of symptoms. Results: The early-onset group shows higher body dissatisfaction, maturity fear, impulsivity and asceticism than the other 2 groups. This group shows a greater character fragility, as described in particular by a lower self-directedness, than the other 2 groups. Conclusions: Even several years after the onset of the disorder, early-onset subjects affected by AN seem characterized by a more disturbed personality, with a higher body dissatisfaction than late-onset subjects affected by AN and a pursuit of thinness based on an ascetic drive.

Pathways to specialist care for eating disorders: An Italian multicentre study

“…Recently, several lines of evidence have shown that the age at onset for ED is decreasing compared with a few decades ago (Favaro, Caregaro, Tenconi, Bosello, & Santonastaso, ; Matsumoto et al, ; Volpe et al, ). Such precession of age at onset does not seem to be a random phenomenon, as it is related to specific clinical and psychological features and to a less favourable course (Abbate‐Daga et al, ). Clearly, in those cases, a longer time needed to reach specialist ED care may imply the risk of higher degrees of chronicity and a worse outcome (Broomfield, Stedal, Touyz, & Rhodes, ).…”

Clinical characteristics of early onset anorexia nervosa

“…The finding that reported eating disorder pathology is equivalent in both EO‐AN and AO‐AN is in line with reports in previous literature (Cooper, Watkins, Bryant‐Waugh, & Lask, ). Our finding of similar body‐image distortion in both groups contradicts previous studies showing either less (de Castro & Goldstein, ) or more severe (Abbate‐Daga et al, ) body‐image distortion in EO‐AN. It should be noted that in the current study, body‐image distortion was measured via self‐report.…”

Personality Disorders in Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified and Binge Eating Disorder

“…However, available data across age groups (Cumella and Kally, 2008) also indicate a declining trend. Comparable studies have reported that earlier age of onset chronically impedes sexual functioning and libido (Pinheiro et al, 2010); reduces the likelihood of a more positive long-term outcome (Wentz et al, 2009); and, in general, implies more personality problems, a more profound body dissatisfaction, and a longer-lasting ascetic-driven pursuit of thinness (Abbate-Daga et al, 2007). An early debut may thus be a sizeable risk factor of developing an additional PD.…”