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Bracké K, Steegers C, van der Harst T, Pons R, Legerstee J, Dierckx B, de Nijs P, Bax-van Berkel M, van Elburg A, Hekkelaan M, Hokke J, de Jong-Zuidema H, Korthals Altes L, Lengton-van der Spil F, Luijkx J, Schuurmans F, Smeets C, van Wijk L, Woltering C, Vernooij M, Hillegers M, White T, Dieleman G. The implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on eating disorder features and comorbid psychopathology among adolescents with anorexia nervosa and matched controls: a comparative cohort design study. Eat Weight Disord 2024; 29:13. [PMID: 38347293 PMCID: PMC10861646 DOI: 10.1007/s40519-024-01640-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 01/28/2024] [Indexed: 02/15/2024] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE To examine implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on eating disorder (ED) features and psychopathology in female adolescents with anorexia nervosa (AN). METHOD In total 79 females with first-onset AN (aged 12-22 years) were included and were followed up across a period of 1 year. We assessed AN participants recruited pre-pandemic (n = 49) to those recruited peri-pandemic (n = 30). Pre- (n = 37) and peri-pandemic (n = 38) age-, and education-matched typically developing (TD) girls (n = 75) were used as a reference cohort. ED features and psychopathology were assessed at baseline. After 1 year of follow-up the association between pandemic timing and clinical course was assessed. Analyses of covariance were used to examine differences in ED features and psychopathology. RESULTS Peri-pandemic AN participants experienced less ED symptoms at baseline compared to pre-pandemic AN participants. In particular, they were less dissatisfied with their body shape, and experienced less interpersonal insecurity. In addition, the peri-pandemic AN group met fewer DSM-IV criteria for comorbid disorders, especially anxiety disorders. In contrast, peri-pandemic AN participants had a smaller BMI increase over time. In TD girls, there were no differences at baseline in ED features and psychopathology between the pre- and peri-pandemic group. CONCLUSION Overall, peri-pandemic AN participants were less severely ill, compared to pre-pandemic AN participants, which may be explained by less social pressure and peer contact, and a more protective parenting style during the pandemic. Conversely, peri-pandemic AN participants had a less favorable clinical course, which may be explained by reduced access to health care facilities during the pandemic. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Level III: Evidence obtained from well-designed cohort or case-control analytic studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katrien Bracké
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus MC-Sophia Children's Hospital, P.O. Box 2060, 3015 GD, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Cathelijne Steegers
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus MC-Sophia Children's Hospital, P.O. Box 2060, 3015 GD, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Tess van der Harst
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus MC-Sophia Children's Hospital, P.O. Box 2060, 3015 GD, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Rozemarijn Pons
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus MC-Sophia Children's Hospital, P.O. Box 2060, 3015 GD, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Jeroen Legerstee
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus MC-Sophia Children's Hospital, P.O. Box 2060, 3015 GD, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Bram Dierckx
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus MC-Sophia Children's Hospital, P.O. Box 2060, 3015 GD, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Pieter de Nijs
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus MC-Sophia Children's Hospital, P.O. Box 2060, 3015 GD, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | - Annemarie van Elburg
- Altrecht-Rintveld, Mental Health Care Organisation for Eating Disorders, Zeist, The Netherlands
| | - Marion Hekkelaan
- Department of Pediatrics, Het Reinier de Graaf Gasthuis, Delft, The Netherlands
| | - Joke Hokke
- Emergis-Ithaka, Mental Health Care Organisation for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Kloetinge, The Netherlands
| | - Hetty de Jong-Zuidema
- GGZ Delfland, Mental Health Care Organisation for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Delft, The Netherlands
| | - Lucas Korthals Altes
- LUMC-Curium, Mental Health Care Organisation for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Farida Lengton-van der Spil
- Department for Eating Disorders, Emergis, Organisation for Mental Health and Well-Being, Goes, The Netherlands
| | - Judith Luijkx
- GGZ Westelijk Noord Brabant, Mental Health Care Organisation for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Roosendaal and Bergen Op Zoom, Bergen Op Zoom, The Netherlands
| | - Femke Schuurmans
- Department of Pediatrics, The Bravis Hospital, Bergen Op Zoom, The Netherlands
| | - Carien Smeets
- Department of Pediatrics, Elisabeth-TweeSteden Hospital, Tilburg, The Netherlands
| | - Lia van Wijk
- Department of Pediatrics, Franciscus Gasthuis en Vlietland, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Claire Woltering
- Department of Pediatrics, Het Reinier de Graaf Gasthuis, Delft, The Netherlands
| | - Meike Vernooij
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Manon Hillegers
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus MC-Sophia Children's Hospital, P.O. Box 2060, 3015 GD, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Tonya White
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus MC-Sophia Children's Hospital, P.O. Box 2060, 3015 GD, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- Section on Social and Cognitive Developmental Neuroscience, National Institutes of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Gwen Dieleman
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus MC-Sophia Children's Hospital, P.O. Box 2060, 3015 GD, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
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Steegers C, Dieleman G, Moskalenko V, Santos S, Hillegers M, White T, Jansen PW. The longitudinal relationship between set-shifting at 4 years of age and eating disorder related features at 9 years of age in the general pediatric population. Int J Eat Disord 2021; 54:2180-2191. [PMID: 34716719 PMCID: PMC9298047 DOI: 10.1002/eat.23633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2021] [Revised: 10/15/2021] [Accepted: 10/18/2021] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Individuals with anorexia nervosa (AN) tend to have rigid thoughts and behaviors regarding their body weight, body image, and eating habits. While a diagnosis of AN implies severe levels of impairment, AN traits can vary on a continuum within the population. However, little is known about how early markers of AN relate to rigid thought patterns and to what extent cognitive rigidity is already present in early childhood. We examined the association of set-shifting abilities as a measure of cognitive flexibility in preadolescents with AN-related features. METHODS Participants included 3,987 children participating in the Generation R Study, a Dutch population-based birth cohort. Set-shifting abilities (mother report) were assessed at 4 years of age, body mass index (BMI) was determined at 4 and 9 years and restrictive eating patterns (mother report) and body image (child report) were assessed at 9 years. RESULTS Lower set-shifting abilities at 4 years were associated with a lower BMI (β = -.44, p = 2.2 × 10-4 ) in girls, and more restrictive eating (β = 0.15, p = 2.7 × 10-6 ) in both boys and girls at 9 years of age. Moreover, set-shifting at age 4 was not associated with body image at age 9. CONCLUSION These findings contribute to the idea that the association between set-shifting problems and AN-related features are present early in childhood, prior to the typical range of the onset of eating disorders (EDs). Longitudinal studies that capture the peak age for the development of EDs will be important to assess whether early cognitive inflexibility is an early marker of AN.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cathelijne Steegers
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/PsychologyErasmus MC‐Sophia Children's HospitalRotterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Gwen Dieleman
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/PsychologyErasmus MC‐Sophia Children's HospitalRotterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Valeria Moskalenko
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/PsychologyErasmus MC‐Sophia Children's HospitalRotterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Susana Santos
- The Generation R Study GroupErasmus University Medical CenterRotterdamThe Netherlands,Department of Pediatrics, Erasmus MC – Sophia Children's HospitalUniversity Medical Center RotterdamRotterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Manon Hillegers
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/PsychologyErasmus MC‐Sophia Children's HospitalRotterdamThe Netherlands,The Generation R Study GroupErasmus University Medical CenterRotterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Tonya White
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/PsychologyErasmus MC‐Sophia Children's HospitalRotterdamThe Netherlands,Department of Radiology and Nuclear MedicineErasmus MCRotterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Pauline W. Jansen
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/PsychologyErasmus MC‐Sophia Children's HospitalRotterdamThe Netherlands,The Generation R Study GroupErasmus University Medical CenterRotterdamThe Netherlands,Department of Psychology, Education, and Child StudiesErasmus University RotterdamRotterdamThe Netherlands
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Steegers C, Blok E, Lamballais S, Jaddoe V, Bernardoni F, Vernooij M, van der Ende J, Hillegers M, Micali N, Ehrlich S, Jansen P, Dieleman G, White T. The association between body mass index and brain morphology in children: a population-based study. Brain Struct Funct 2021; 226:787-800. [PMID: 33484342 PMCID: PMC7981300 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-020-02209-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2020] [Accepted: 12/22/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Brain morphology is altered in both anorexia nervosa and obesity. However, it is yet unclear if the relationship between Body Mass Index-Standard Deviation Score (BMI-SDS) and brain morphology exists across the BMI-SDS spectrum, or is present only in the extremes. The study involved 3160 9-to-11 year-old children (50.3% female) who participate in Generation R, a population-based study. Structural MRI scans were obtained from all children and FreeSurfer was used to quantify both global and surface-based measures of gyrification and cortical thickness. Body length and weight were measured to calculate BMI. Dutch growth curves were used to calculate BMI-SDS. BMI-SDS was analyzed continuously and in two categories (median split). The relationship between BMI-SDS (range − 3.82 to 3.31) and gyrification showed an inverted-U shape curve in children with both lower and higher BMI-SDS values having lower gyrification in widespread areas of the brain. BMI-SDS had a positive linear association with cortical thickness in multiple brain regions. This study provides evidence for an association between BMI-SDS and brain morphology in a large sample of children from the general population and suggests that a normal BMI during childhood is important for brain development. Future studies could determine whether lifestyle modifications optimize BMI-SDS result in return to more typical patterns of brain morphology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cathelijne Steegers
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus Medical Center-Sophia Children's Hospital, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Elisabet Blok
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus Medical Center-Sophia Children's Hospital, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.,The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Sander Lamballais
- Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.,Department of Clinical Genetics, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Vincent Jaddoe
- The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.,Department of Pediatrics, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Fabio Bernardoni
- Division of Psychological and Social Medicine and Developmental Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Meike Vernooij
- Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.,Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Jan van der Ende
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus Medical Center-Sophia Children's Hospital, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Manon Hillegers
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus Medical Center-Sophia Children's Hospital, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Nadia Micali
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.,Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Child and Adolescent Health, Geneva University Hospital, Geneva, Switzerland.,Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, UK
| | - Stefan Ehrlich
- Division of Psychological and Social Medicine and Developmental Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.,Translational Developmental Neuroscience Section, Eating Disorder Research and Treatment Center, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Pauline Jansen
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus Medical Center-Sophia Children's Hospital, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.,Department of Psychology, Education, and Child Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Gwen Dieleman
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus Medical Center-Sophia Children's Hospital, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Tonya White
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus Medical Center-Sophia Children's Hospital, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. .,Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
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