youssef-longtitudinalbidirect-2017.pdf (1.02 MB)
Download fileLongitudinal bi-directional effects of disordered eating, depression and anxiety
journal contribution
posted on 2017-09-01, 00:00 authored by F Puccio, Matthew Fuller-TyszkiewiczMatthew Fuller-Tyszkiewicz, George YoussefGeorge Youssef, S Mitchell, M Byrne, N Allen, I KrugOBJECTIVE: The present study aims to explore the potentially longitudinal bi-directional effects of disordered eating (DE) symptoms with depression and anxiety. METHOD: Participants were 189 (49.5% male) adolescents from Melbourne, Australia. DE, depressive and anxiety symptoms were assessed at approximately 15, 16.5 and 18.5 years of age. RESULTS: Analysis of longitudinal bi-directional effects assessed via cross-lagged models indicated that DE symptoms of eating and shape/weight concerns were risk factors for anxiety. Results also showed that depression was a risk factor for eating concerns. CONCLUSION: Our findings provide preliminary evidence that preventative measures designed to target concerns about eating and shape/weight might be most efficacious in reducing the transmission of effects between symptoms of DE, depression and anxiety.
