Culture Post: A Happy Childhood Can Protect Against Eating Disorders

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by HealthDay.

Supportive parents. Regular household routines. Comforting beliefs. Strong connections to the community.

All these positive childhood influences can lower a college student’s risk of developing an eating disorder, even in the face of some negative experiences, a new study says.

Previous studies have linked child abuse and neglect to a greater risk of eating disorders like binge eating, bulimia, and anorexia, researchers said.

But these new findings indicate the opposite is also true — a happy, secure childhood can shield a kid against future eating disorders.

“We found that positive, or benevolent childhood experiences, had a protective effect against disordered eating,” senior researcher Craig Johnston, chair of health and human performance at the University of Houston, said in a news release.

“Even in the instance where students had a high amount of adverse childhood experiences, positive childhood experiences mitigated their impact in regard to unhealthy eating behaviors,” Johnston added.

For the new study, researchers surveyed more than 1,600 University of Houston students.

Results showed that positive and negative childhood influences did indeed influence the students’ risk for eating disorders.

Those students at greatest risk reported adverse childhood experiences, fewer positive experiences, and current obsessing about their weight and shape. They had a 63% increased risk for eating disorders.

“The most dramatic protective effect was observed when individuals had both low adverse childhood experiences and high positive childhood experiences, reducing disordered eating by 20% to 41%,” Johnston said.

The new study appears in the journal Adversity and Resilience Science.

Source: HealthDay
https://www.healthday.com/health-news/mental-health/a-happy-childhood-can-protect-against-eating-disorders

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