Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
Rivierduinen Eating Disorders Ursula, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Int J Eat Disord. 2020 Nov;53(11):1780-1790. doi: 10.1002/eat.23353. Epub 2020 Jul 28.
We evaluated the early impact of COVID-19 on people with self-reported eating disorders.
Participants in the United States (US, N = 511) and the Netherlands (NL, N = 510), recruited through ongoing studies and social media, completed an online survey that included both quantitative measures and free-text responses assessing the impact of COVID-19 on situational circumstances, eating disorder symptoms, eating disorder treatment, and general well-being.
Results revealed strong and wide-ranging effects on eating disorder concerns and illness behaviors that were consistent with eating disorder type. Participants with anorexia nervosa (US 62% of sample; NL 69%) reported increased restriction and fears about being able to find foods consistent with their meal plan. Individuals with bulimia nervosa and binge-eating disorder (US 30% of sample; NL 15%) reported increases in their binge-eating episodes and urges to binge. Respondents noted marked increases in anxiety since 2019 and reported greater concerns about the impact of COVID-19 on their mental health than physical health. Although many participants acknowledged and appreciated the transition to telehealth, limitations of this treatment modality for this population were raised. Individuals with past histories of eating disorders noted concerns about relapse related to COVID-19 circumstances. Encouragingly, respondents also noted positive effects including greater connection with family, more time for self-care, and motivation to recover.
COVID-19 is associated with increased anxiety and poses specific disorder-related challenges for individuals with eating disorders that require attention by healthcare professionals and carers.
我们评估了 COVID-19 对自我报告饮食障碍患者的早期影响。
通过正在进行的研究和社交媒体招募的来自美国（美国，N=511）和荷兰（NL，N=510）的参与者完成了一项在线调查，该调查包括评估 COVID-19 对情境情况、饮食障碍症状、饮食障碍治疗和一般健康的影响的定量措施和自由文本回复。
结果显示，对饮食障碍的关注和疾病行为产生了强烈而广泛的影响，这与饮食障碍的类型一致。神经性厌食症患者（美国占样本的 62%；NL 占 69%）报告说限制饮食增加，并且担心能够找到符合其饮食计划的食物。神经性贪食症和暴食障碍患者（美国占样本的 30%；NL 占 15%）报告说暴食发作和暴食冲动增加。受访者自 2019 年以来报告焦虑明显增加，并表示对 COVID-19 对其心理健康的影响比身体健康更为关注。尽管许多参与者认识到并赞赏向远程医疗的转变，但提出了这种治疗模式对该人群的局限性。有过去饮食障碍史的个体对与 COVID-19 情况相关的复发表示担忧。令人鼓舞的是，受访者还指出了积极的影响，包括与家人更紧密的联系、更多的自我保健时间和康复的动力。
COVID-19 与焦虑增加有关，并对饮食障碍患者提出了具体的与疾病相关的挑战，需要医疗保健专业人员和护理人员关注。
