Childhood anxiety associated with low BMI in women with Anorexia Nervosa

Abstract

Objective-Extremely low body mass index (BMI) values are associated with increased risk for death and poor long-term prognosis in individuals with AN. The present study explores childhood personality characteristics that could be associated with the ability to attain an extremely low BMI. Publisher's Disclaimer: This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final citable form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. NIH Public Access Author ManuscriptBehav Res Ther. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2011 January 1. Results-Children who were described as having greater fear or anxiety by their mothers attained lower BMIs during AN (p <0.02). Path analysis in the GAN and a validation sample, Price Foundation Anorexia Nervosa Trios Study, confirmed the relation between early childhood anxiety, caloric restriction, qualitative food item restriction, excessive exercise, and low BMI. Path analysis also confirmed a relation between childhood anxiety and caloric restriction, which mediated the relation between childhood anxiety and low BMI in the GAN sample only.Conclusion-Fearful or anxious behavior as a child was associated with the attainment of low BMI in AN and childhood anxiety was associated with caloric restriction. Measures of anxiety and factors associated with anxiety-proneness in childhood may index children at risk for restrictive behaviors and extremely low BMIs in AN.

A family-based association study of the HTR1B gene in eating disorders

“…14 In addition, anxious behavior is associated with low BMI in women with AN. 15 Further genetic studies in AN should provide information to clarify the role of the G861C polymorphism in low BMI, providing additional evidence of the involvement of 5-HT1Db receptors in appetitive behavior, and explore the effect of this genetic variant in psychopathological traits, such as anxiety.…”

Threat‐related attentional bias in anorexia nervosa

“…2,4 Lifetime prevalence of comorbid anxiety disorders range from 23% to 75%, the most common forms being generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), social phobia, and obsessive compulsive disorder. 2 Women with AN with a current or childhood anxiety disorder report more extreme eating disorder related personality traits and attitudes and they engage in more compensatory behaviors as compared to those without such comorbidity [4][5][6] making them more difficult to treat. Furthermore, anxietyrelated comorbidity has a negative effect on outcome of AN, 7,8 and has been associated with poor treatment adherence and high drop-out.…”

An experimental exploration of behavioral and cognitive–emotional aspects of intolerance of uncertainty in eating disorder patients

“…The contribution of anxiety to eating disorders (ED) is an area that provides promise but as yet offers little in the way of experimental data (Dellava et al, 2009;Pallister & Waller, 2008;Strober, Freeman, Lampert, & Diamond, 2007;Strober, 2004;Touyz et al, 2007;Waller, 2008). Within the anxiety disorders literature much is now known about the cognitive and behavioral processes underlying anxiety states and some of these processes may well be relevant to our understanding of the spectrum of ED (Waller, 2008;Wells, 1997).…”

“…It is known, for example, that ED are commonly predated by anxiety traits or the presence of a full-blown anxiety disorder (Hudson, Hiripi, Pope, & Kessler, 2007;Raney et al, 2008;. Women with Anorexia Nervosa (AN) who report a history of childhood anxiety disorder report more extreme ED related personality traits and attitudes and they engage in more compensatory behaviors compared to those without such comorbidity (Dellava et al, 2009;Raney et al, 2008). Furthermore, anxiety-related comorbidity has a negative effect on outcome of AN (Herpertz-Dahlmann et al, 2001).…”