Behavior
The Associations of Positive and Adverse Childhood Experiences with Disordered Eating Behaviors among College Students Cynthia Yoon* Cynthia Yoon
Background: Children undergo positive, neutral, or adverse experiences. Although positive and adverse childhood experiences are individually associated with disordered eating behaviors, a limited body of research has comprehensively examined the entire spectrum of childhood experiences in relation to disordered eating behaviors.
Purpose: To examine the extent to which childhood experiences are associated with disordered eating behaviors among college students.
Methods: Data were derived from a cross-sectional study of college students (N=1491; 59.0% women, Mage 20.4±3.3yrs in 2022-2023). Positive and adverse childhood experiences were self-reported and categorized into four groups: low positive and low adverse experiences; high positive but low adverse experiences; low positive but high adverse experiences; and high positive and high adverse experiences. Six disordered eating behaviors (e.g., binge eating) were self-reported and dichotomized. Logistic regressions examined associations between childhood experiences and disordered eating behaviors.
Results: Participants with high positive but low adverse experiences had 4.4 to 8.3 percent point lower predicted probability (PP) of disordered eating behaviors while participants with low positive but high adverse experiences had 1.6 to 14.3 percent point higher PP of disordered eating behaviors than those with low positive and adverse childhood experiences (PP range= 30.6%, 95% CI=22.5-38.6 to PP=53.5%, 95% CI= 44.8-62.2%) after adjustment for sociodemographic variables.
Conclusion: Childhood experiences were associated with disordered eating behaviors but differed by the type and extent of experiences and disordered eating behaviors. Public health efforts should promote positive experiences and prevent adverse experiences during childhood to mitigate the risk of engagement in disordered eating behaviors during college.