Clinical, psychological and personality features related to age of onset of anorexia nervosa.
BACKGROUND
To investigate the relationship between age of onset and clinical and personality features of patients with anorexia nervosa (AN).


METHODS
We assessed 250 outpatients with AN with the Temperament and Character Inventory, the Eating Disorder Inventory 2, the Beck Depression Inventory and the Body Shape Questionnaire. The patients were subdivided into 3 groups: early (n=73), intermediate (n=96) and late onset (n=81), based on age of onset of symptoms.


RESULTS
The early-onset group shows higher body dissatisfaction, maturity fear, impulsivity and asceticism than the other 2 groups. This group shows a greater character fragility, as described in particular by a lower self-directedness, than the other 2 groups.


CONCLUSIONS
Even several years after the onset of the disorder, early-onset subjects affected by AN seem characterized by a more disturbed personality, with a higher body dissatisfaction than late-onset subjects affected by AN and a pursuit of thinness based on an ascetic drive.
Abbate-Daga
G
G
Department of Neurosciences, Section of Psychiatry, University of Turin Eating Disorders Center, Ospedale San Giovanni Battista-Molinette, Turin, Italy.
Pierò
A
A
Rigardetto
R
R
Gandione
M
M
Gramaglia
C
C
Fassino
S
S
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D001828:Body Image; D002605:Character; D004328:Drive; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010554:Personality Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011594:Psychometrics; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013694:Temperament; D013851:Thinness / Q000523:psychology