title: Parental disorders, childhood abuse, and binge eating in a large community sample.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Genetic and nonshared environmental factors are implicated in the etiology of binge eating behaviors (BEB), with genetic risk expressed as parental psychopathology. Traumatic experiences including child abuse predict onset of BEB. It is not clear if each separately contribute to BEB, or whether parental pathology leads to abuse which in turn influences BEB.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were obtained from the National Comorbidity Survey-Replication (N = 2960). Through structural equation modeling, we estimated unique and combined effects of mother's and father's internalizing (INT) and externalizing (EXT) disorders, and child abuse on BEB.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Parental INT and EXT psychopathology contributed to child abuse and BEB. Abuse predicted BEB and partially mediated associations between parental psychopathology and BEB.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Results emphasize the value of models that incorporate nature and nurture to understand risk for psychopathology in offspring, with childhood abuse being one mediator of how parental psychopathology may reflect genetic risk and influence environmental risk.
authors: Department of Psychology, Florida State University, 1107 W. Call Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32306-4301, USA. sachs@psy.fsu.edu
authors: Natalie
authors: N
authors: Sachs-Ericsson
authors: Pamela K
authors: PK
authors: Keel
authors: Lauren
authors: L
authors: Holland
authors: Edward A
authors: EA
authors: Selby
authors: Edelyn
authors: E
authors: Verona
authors: Jesse R
authors: JR
authors: Cougle
authors: Emily
authors: E
authors: Palmer