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Childhood maltreatment and longitudinal trajectories of disordered eating behaviors: Sociodemographic moderators and behavior-specific sensitivity analyses
Disordered eating behaviors (DEBs) are a serious public health concern, and childhood maltreatment has been identified as a possible contributing factor. However, little is known about how such early life adversity impacts the development of DEBs from adolescence into adulthood over time. This study by Modjarrad et al. (2025) explores the relationship between childhood maltreatment and changes in DEBs, with particular attention to how factors like sex, race, and income may influence this trajectory. Using data from Waves I–III of the Add Health study (covering ages 11–26) and childhood maltreatment data from Wave IV, researchers assessed individual changes in DEBs over time. The analysis adjusted for key covariates and examined how different types of maltreatment interacted with sociodemographic variables. Out of over 15 million participants, nearly half (49.2%) reported experiencing childhood maltreatment. The data revealed a significant increase in DEBs between adolescence and early adulthood, especially between Waves II and III. While direct links between specific abuse types (physical, verbal, or parental sexual abuse) and worsening DEBs were not statistically significant on their own, certain subgroups showed marked vulnerability. For example, low-income individuals exposed to non-familial sexual abuse had the most severe increases in DEBs. Additionally, verbal abuse had a stronger negative impact on Asian or Pacific Islander individuals. Males showed a greater increase in DEBs over time compared to females. These findings highlight how sociodemographic factors—such as income level, race, and sex—can shape the long-term impact of childhood maltreatment on eating behaviors. The study highlights the necessity of individualized, trauma-informed methods in clinical treatment and public health. Future research should track these patterns into later adulthood and investigate what factors may help protect at-risk individuals. [NPID: Childhood maltreatment, disordered eating behaviors, eating disorders, longitudinal analysis, sociodemographic factors, precision psychiatry, mental health disparities, trauma-informed interventions, sex differences, socioeconomic factors]
Year: 2025
