(PS6-B26) Differential Impact of Various Types of Child Maltreatment on Disordered Eating Symptoms in Adulthood

Current research provides evidence suggesting an increased risk of up to 46% of developing an eating disorder (anorexia nervosa and/or binge-eating disorder) due to the negative consequences of childhood maltreatment (Molendijk et al., 2017). However, research conducted by Talmon and colleagues (2022), provided evidence suggesting that childhood maltreatment posed a significant risk for experiencing an increase in anorexia nervosa symptoms among adults who retroactively reported physical and sexual maltreatment, but found mixed results for other types of maltreatment. While previous research has examined the impact of specific types of child maltreatment and eating disorder symptoms (e.g., emotional abuse; Musetti et al. 2003) this study aimed to examine the differential impact of different types of child maltreatment on disordered eating symptoms in a sample of college students (N=222) while controlling for other types of maltreatment in the model. It also added to the literature by testing if intrusive thoughts about previous maltreatment experience also significantly predicted disordered eating symptoms above and beyond the history of maltreatment itself. Participants completed two measures. One was the MMPI-3, one of the most reliable and well-validated measures of mental health. The Eating Concerns subscale of the MMPI-3 was used for this study, which measures restricting, binging, and purging symptoms. They also completed the Maltreatment History and Impact Questionnaire, which measures five types of maltreatment history (emotional abuse and neglect, physical abuse and neglect, and sexual abuse) as well as how often participants have intrusive, current thoughts about any of the types of maltreatment endorsed. At the bivariate level, all types of child maltreatment had positive correlations with disordered eating symptoms, although its correlation with physical neglect was not significant (r = .10, p = .14). All other correlations were significant at the .01 level, ranging from .18 (physical abuse) to .30 (emotional abuse). Disordered eating symptoms were also significantly correlated with intrusive thoughts about past maltreatment (r = .31).  When all five types of maltreatment were entered into step 1 of a hierarchical regression, only emotional neglect (β=.31), physical neglect (β=-.16), and sexual abuse (β=.16) were significant predictors of disordered eating symptoms. When adding intrusive thoughts about past maltreatment in step 2, it accounted for an additional 2.4% of the variance, which was significant ΔF(1, 214)=6.12, p=.014. It was also an individually significant predictor (β=.25), although a history of emotional neglect was still the strongest predictor of symptoms. These results indicated that, in addition to assessing for a history of child maltreatment experiences, it is important for clinicians to also examine their current impact on clients as represented by intrusive thoughts. They also indicated that, although emotional types of maltreatment are often overlooked, emotional neglect may be particularly salient as it relates to disordered eating symptoms.