Mediational significance of PTSD in the relationship of sexual trauma and eating disorders.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the mediational significance of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and the development of eating disorder symptomatology following sexually traumatic experiences.


METHODS
Seventy-one victims of sexual trauma and 25 control subjects completed interviews and questionnaires assessing eating disorder psychopathology and posttraumatic stress disorder symptomatology. Mediational analyses were conducted examining the relationships among trauma, posttraumatic stress, and eating disorder symptoms. Mediational significance was assessed by the drop in the overall correlation between trauma and eating disorder symptoms when PTSD symptoms were included in the regression model.


RESULTS
There is a significant association between a history of trauma and eating disorder symptoms. Also, there was a significant association between a history of trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms. Importantly, the relationship between trauma and eating disorder symptoms was significantly reduced when posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms were included in the regression analyses, indicating mediational significance of the posttraumatic stress construct. These findings were most pronounced for the physiological arousal and avoidance components of posttraumatic stress disorder.


CONCLUSIONS
The present findings support the idea that individuals who develop eating disorders after sexual trauma are likely to have experienced posttraumatic stress disorder symptomatology. These findings have significant implications for causal models of eating disorder onset in trauma victims. Furthermore, clinical interventions for traumatized eating disordered individuals may benefit from a focus on posttraumatic stress symptomatology.
Department of Social Work, University of Minnesota-Duluth, Duluth, MN, USA.
Sarah R
SR
Holzer
Saritha
S
Uppala
Stephen A
SA
Wonderlich
Ross D
RD
Crosby
Heather
H
Simonich
D000328:Adult; D001828:Body Image; D002648:Child; D002650:Child Abuse, Sexual / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010555:Personality Inventory; D011902:Rape / Q000523:psychology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology