Abstract
ABSTRACT
Objective
This hypothesis‐generating study examined whether baseline risk factors and baseline eating‐disorder symptoms predicted first eating‐disorder episode duration and time from first incident eating‐disorder onset to transition to a second distinct eating‐disorder family among participants who developed an eating disorder during follow‐up.
Method
Data came from four prevention trials of participants at elevated risk because of body image concerns. The analytic sample included 223 participants who were eating‐disorder‐free at baseline and developed an eating disorder during 36‐month follow‐up. First‐episode duration was defined as the duration of the first continuous eating‐disorder episode. Age‐ and condition‐adjusted Cox proportional‐hazards models examined predictors of time to remission. For Aim 2, condition‐adjusted Cox proportional‐hazards models examined time from first eating‐disorder onset to the first subsequent diagnosis from a different eating‐disorder family, with participants who did not transition to a second family right‐censored at their last observed diagnostic month.
Results
Higher baseline BMI
z
‐score (zBMI) was associated with faster remission from the first continuous eating‐disorder episode (HR = 1.170, 95% CI [1.005, 1.362],
p
= 0.043). Higher baseline dieting was associated with a higher rate of transition to a second distinct eating‐disorder family (HR = 1.421, 95% CI [1.034, 1.952],
p
= 0.030).
Discussion
Higher baseline zBMI was associated with faster remission from the first continuous eating‐disorder episode, whereas higher baseline dieting was associated with a higher rate of transition to a second distinct eating‐disorder family. These exploratory findings warrant replication in future studies.