NCJ Number
213687
Journal
Child Abuse & Neglect Volume: 30 Issue: 3 Dated: March 2006 Pages: 257-269
Date Published
March 2006
Length
13 pages
Annotation
This study examined the impact of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) on the clinical presentation and premature termination of treatment in anorexia nervosa (AN).
Abstract
Overall, there was a high prevalence of CSA among inpatients with AN: 48 percent of the AN inpatient sample reported a history of CSA. AN patients reporting a history of CSA also reported higher levels of depression and anxiety, lower self-esteem, more interpersonal problems, and more severe obsessive-compulsive symptoms compared to AN patients with no history of CSA. AN patients with the binge-purge subtype were significantly more likely to report that CSA onset preceded the onset of the eating disorder than were AN patients with the restricting subtype of the eating disorder. Finally, it was discovered that AN patients with a history of CSA were not more likely to terminate treatment prematurely compared with other AN patients. Clinical implications of the findings include the observation that AN patients of the binge-purge subtype with a history of CSA may require more intensive treatment to overcome their eating disorder. Participants were 95 female inpatients of the Inpatient Eating Disorder unit at the Toronto General Hospital between 2000 and 2005. Program intake and exit assessments were analyzed, which covered patient eating disorder pathology as well as general pathology and child sexual abuse. Statistical data analysis included chi-square tests and independent sample t-tests. Limitations of the study include the lack of assessment of personality disturbance and self-injurious behavior. Tables, figures, references