Abstract
Purpose
A higher risk of food addiction (FA) in individuals reporting childhood sexual abuse (CSA) has been well demonstrated with community samples, but studies including clinical samples failed to replicate this relation. This study examined, among individuals presenting eating and weight disorders, the risk of FA for those reporting CSA while considering the severity of CSA and other types of traumas.
Methods
Participants (N = 187) completed a DSM-5 diagnosis assessment and questionnaires on LimeSurvey evaluating FA, interpersonal traumas, depressive level, body esteem, dieting/weight preoccupations, and body mass index (BMI). Logistic regressions were used to calculate the odds ratio (OR) of FA using interpersonal traumas as risk factors, and t tests were used to compare individuals with FA and CSA and those with FA without CSA.
Results
Of all interpersonal traumas, CSA was associated with the highest risk of FA, with ORs of 1.73 (p = 0.094) and 2.07 (p = 0.034). The relationship with the abuser, the type of sexual abuse and the number of abuses were significant or marginally significant risk factors, with ORs ranging from 1.26 to 1.50. Finally, no significant difference was found between FA with CSA and FA without CSA.
Conclusion
Using a clinical sample, this study showed a higher risk of FA in individuals reporting CSA and provided evidence that the relationship with the abuser, the type of sexual abuse, and the number of abuses are relevant factors. Additionally, in individuals with FA, the presence or absence of CSA did not influence depressive level, body esteem, dieting/weight preoccupations, or BMI.
Level of evidence
Level V, cross-sectional, descriptive study.
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Data availability
The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
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Acknowledgements
We thank all professional and student clinicians from the Centre d’Expertise Poids, Image et Alimentation (CEPIA) for their implications in the project.
Funding
ML received grants from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research [395259] and the Fonds de recherche du Québec—Santé [255604].
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ML and CB contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by ML. The first draft of the manuscript was written by ML, and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. All authors participated in the peer review process.
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This study was performed in line with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Approval was granted by the Laval University’s Institutional Review Board (2019–094 / 29–04-2019).
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Legendre, M., Sabourin, S. & Bégin, C. Childhood sexual abuse and food addiction severity in a clinical sample of individuals with overweight or obesity. Eat Weight Disord 27, 3737–3742 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-022-01441-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-022-01441-3