Adverse childhood experiences among adults with eating disorders: comparison to a nationally representative sample and identification of trauma profiles

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), such as abuse, are considered a significant public health crisis and are associated with mental and physical health problems later in life. The current study compared ACEs among a treatment-seeking sample of adults with eating disorders to a nationally representative sample, and found that patients with eating disorders reported higher ACEs scores. Within the eating disorder sample, females were more likely to report a history of sexual abuse than males. Four categories of ACEs emerged, representing four distinct clusters of ACEs item endorsement. Patients with binge eating disorder (BED) reported higher levels of ACEs than patients with anorexia nervosa – restricting subtype (AN-R). In addition, patients with other specified feeding or eating disorder (OSFED) were more likely to be characterized by high levels of household dysfunction than patients with AN-R. Screening for adverse childhood experiences among patients with eating disorders should be part of standard care, and more broadly, providing children with safe environments may lessen the long-term development of several serious illnesses, including eating disorders.