Social anxiety as a barrier to treatment for eating disorders.
BACKGROUND
The goal of this pilot investigation is to determine the relationship between social anxiety and treatment-seeking behavior for eating disorders in an outpatient psychiatric clinic.


METHODS
Twenty-eight patients seeking treatment for anorexia or bulimia at an outpatient eating disorders clinic completed a battery of self-report measures on eating pathology, attachment style and functioning, and social anxiety at initial intake appointment. Levels of eating pathology and social anxiety at consult were compared with service utilization records on entry into treatment.


RESULTS
Individuals who did not engage in treatment had significantly higher levels of social anxiety (F = 8.29, df = 1, p < .05) compared with those who did engage in treatment. There were no differences in demographic characteristics, diagnoses, or level of eating pathology at intake.


CONCLUSIONS
Social anxiety may act as a barrier to effective help-seeking and utilization of mental health treatment among individuals with eating disorders. Replication of these findings in a larger sample and more in-depth study of the mechanism of the observed association between use of services and social anxiety may be useful in planning more effective outreach in the community to underserved populations in need of treatment for eating disorders.
Department of Child Psychiatry, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, Division of Epidemiology, Columbia University School of Public Health, 1051 Riverside Dr., Unit 43, New York, NY 10032, USA. rdg66@columbia.edu
Renee D
RD
Goodwin
Marian L
ML
Fitzgibbon
D000328:Adult; D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D002032:Bulimia / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D010698:Phobic Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016312:Treatment Refusal / Q000706:statistics & numerical data