The childhood and family background of women with clinical eating disorders: a comparison with women with major depression and women without psychiatric disorder.
BACKGROUND
Childhood antecedents are often put forward as being of possible aetiological significance for both anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.


METHODS
Comparisons were made of groups of women with eating disorders with groups of women with major depression or without current psychiatric disorder, using the Childhood Experience of Care and Abuse interview (CECA).


RESULTS
Women with bulimia nervosa (or mixed bulimia and anorexia nervosa) tended to report more troubled childhood experiences than did women from the non-morbid comparison group. In this respect, they resembled those with major depression. In contrast, those with anorexia nervosa resembled the non-morbid women rather than the other psychiatric groups.


CONCLUSIONS
Adversity in childhood as measured by the CECA may play a part in the causation of bulimia nervosa but not of anorexia nervosa. It remains possible that more specific or subtle family influences may be relevant.
Webster
J J
JJ
Department of Psychiatry, University of Leicester, Leicester General Hospital.
Palmer
R L
RL
D000328:Adult; D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology*; D002032:Bulimia / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000150:complications*; D005192:Family Health; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D012307:Risk Factors