title: Identifying disordered eating behaviours in adolescents: how do parent and adolescent reports differ by sex and age?
abstract: This study investigated the prevalence of disordered eating cognitions and behaviours across mid-adolescence in a large European sample, and explored the extent to which prevalence ratings were affected by informant (parent/adolescent), or the sex or age of the adolescent. The Development and Well-Being Assessment was completed by parent-adolescent dyads at age 14 (n = 2225) and again at age 16 (n = 1607) to explore the prevalence of 7 eating disorder symptoms (binge eating, purging, fear of weight gain, distress over shape/weight, avoidance of fattening foods, food restriction, and exercise for weight loss). Informant agreement was assessed using kappa coefficients. Generalised estimating equations were performed to explore the impact of age, sex and informant on symptom prevalence. Slight to fair agreement was observed between parent and adolescent reports (kappa estimates between 0.045 and 0.318); however, this was largely driven by agreement on the absence of behaviours. Disordered eating behaviours were more consistently endorsed amongst girls compared to boys (odds ratios: 2.96-5.90) and by adolescents compared to their parents (odds ratios: 2.71-9.05). Our data are consistent with previous findings in epidemiological studies. The findings suggest that sex-related differences in the prevalence of disordered eating behaviour are established by mid-adolescence. The greater prevalence rates obtained from adolescent compared to parent reports may be due to the secretive nature of the behaviours and/or lack of awareness by parents. If adolescent reports are overlooked, the disordered behaviour may have a greater opportunity to become more entrenched.
authors.affiliation: Section of Eating Disorders, Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK. savani.bartholdy@kcl.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Savani
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4083-5809
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bartholdy
authors.affiliation: South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
authors.forename: Karina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Allen
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hodsoll
authors.affiliation: Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: Owen G
authors.initials: OG
authors.lastname: O'Daly
authors.affiliation: Section of Eating Disorders, Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: Iain C
authors.initials: IC
authors.lastname: Campbell
authors.affiliation: Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Square J5, 68159, Mannheim, Germany.
authors.forename: Tobias
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Banaschewski
authors.affiliation: Discipline of Psychiatry, School of Medicine and Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
authors.forename: Arun L W
authors.initials: ALW
authors.lastname: Bokde
authors.affiliation: University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf, House W34, 3.OG, Martinistr. 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Uli
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Bromberg
authors.affiliation: University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf, House W34, 3.OG, Martinistr. 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Büchel
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Council-Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: Erin Burke
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Quinlan
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Université de Montréal, CHU Ste Justine Hospital, Quebec, Canada.|Department of Psychological Medicine and Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: Patricia J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Conrod
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Council-Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: Sylvane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Desrivières
authors.affiliation: Department of Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Square J5, Mannheim, Germany.
authors.forename: Herta
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Flor
authors.affiliation: Neurospin, Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique, CEA-Saclay Center, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Vincent
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Frouin
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), Martinistrasse 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Jürgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gallinat
authors.affiliation: Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, 05405, USA.
authors.forename: Hugh
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Garavan
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Campus Charité Mitte, Charité, Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Charitéplatz 1, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Heinz
authors.affiliation: Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), Abbestr. 2-12, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Bernd
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ittermann
authors.affiliation: Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, INSERM Unit 1000 "Neuroimaging & Psychiatry", University Paris Sud, University Paris Descartes-Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France.|Maison de Solenn, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Jean-Luc
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Martinot
authors.affiliation: Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, INSERM Unit 1000 "Neuroimaging & Psychiatry", University Paris Sud, University Paris Descartes-Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France.|Psychiatry Department 91G16, Orsay Hospital, Orsay, France.
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Artiges
authors.affiliation: Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Square J5, 68159, Mannheim, Germany.|Department of Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Square J5, Mannheim, Germany.
authors.forename: Frauke
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Nees
authors.affiliation: Neurospin, Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique, CEA-Saclay Center, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Dimitri Papadopoulos
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Orfanos
authors.affiliation: Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest and Departments of Psychology and Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M6A 2E1, Canada.
authors.forename: Tomáš
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Paus
authors.affiliation: Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Square J5, 68159, Mannheim, Germany.|Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Luise
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Poustka
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Neuroimaging Center, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Michael N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Smolka
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Neuroimaging Center, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mennigen
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Campus Charité Mitte, Charité, Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Charitéplatz 1, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Henrik
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Walter
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Whelan
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Council-Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: Gunter
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Schumann
authors.affiliation: Section of Eating Disorders, Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.|South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
authors.forename: Ulrike
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Schmidt
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents; D012737:Sex Factors
keywords: Adolescent; Eating disorders; Epidemiology; Parent