A cross-sectional model of eating disorders in Argentinean overweight and obese children

Perfectionism and eating disorders in children and adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis

There is a consistent link between perfectionism and eating disorders, however no meta-analysis to date has synthesized this literature in children and adolescents. We hypothesized that there would be significant, small pooled correlations between perfectionism dimensions and eating disorder symptoms in children and adolescents. Published, peer-reviewed articles with standardised measures of perfectionism and eating disorder symptoms were included. Articles were excluded if the age range was over 18 years. Overall, 39 studies were included (N = 13,954 participants, M age = 13.7 years). Total perfectionism (r = 0.25), perfectionistic strivings (r = 0.21), and perfectionistic concerns (r = 0.31) had significant positive associations with eating disorder symptoms. Most studies were rated as fair or good quality. Limitations included high heterogeneity, insufficient studies to investigate age as a moderator, the inclusion of only English articles, and predominately cross-sectional studies which precluded causal inference. Higher perfectionism was associated with greater eating disorder symptoms in children and adolescents. Future research should focus on longitudinal studies of eating disorder symptoms in children and adolescents.

The Impact of Teasing and Bullying Victimization on Disordered Eating and Body Image Disturbance Among Adolescents: A Systematic Review

Adolescence is a developmental period in which disordered eating and negative body image are highly prevalent, yet their risk factors are insufficiently understood and targeted. Despite research implicating both teasing and bullying victimization in the development of eating disorders, these strands of research are yet to be integrated. This systematic review hence aimed to identify whether teasing and bullying victimization are associated with greater risk of eating disorders and body image disturbance for adolescents. Systematic searches of PsycINFO and PubMed databases identified 79 papers that included quantitative analyses of the relationship between weight-related or nonspecific teasing or bullying victimization and disordered eating or body image disturbance. Overall, studies indicated that adolescents who are teased or bullied are more likely to experience disordered eating and negative body image compared to nonvictimized adolescents. This was more consistently observed in cross-sectional studies than in longitudinal findings. We identify several methodological limitations of the literature, including the infrequent consideration of potential mediating and moderating variables. Finally, we outline future directions such as temporal sequencing of the complex interrelationships among teasing and bullying, disordered eating, and body image disturbance in adolescents.

Psychological well-being and weight-related teasing in childhood obesity: a case-control study

PURPOSE

The prevalence of childhood obesity continues to increase worldwide. The aims of this study were to (1) assess the psychological well-being and rates of teasing of Spanish children with obesity (OG) and compare them with their non-overweight peers (NG), and (2) analyze the mediating role of weight-related teasing on the relation between children's BMI z score and psychological well-being.

METHODS

The cross-sectional study included 50 preadolescents with obesity, matched with non-overweight children according to age, sex, and socioeconomic status, who were assessed via self-report instruments measuring anxiety, depression, self-esteem, and teasing.

RESULTS

The OG reported higher anxiety, depression, and teasing, and lower self-esteem. SEM revealed that children who scored worse on instruments assessing psychological well-being had higher BMI z scores. Weight-related teasing predicted poor psychological well-being scores and weight-related teasing mediated the relation between BMI and psychological well-being.

CONCLUSIONS

The high rates of anxiety, depression, and weight-related teasing, as well as the low self-esteem, which was observed amongst the children with obesity, raise concerns about the quality of life of this population. Furthermore, the finding that weight-related teasing mediated the relationship between BMI and psychological well-being adds to a growing body of research, highlighting the harmful effects of weight-related stigma. Overall, these results highlight the importance of early intervention to assess for, and address, the presence of weight-related teasing and psychological well-being difficulties in preadolescents with obesity.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level III, case-control study.