Schmauch Lina, Michel Emma Josephine, Reich Günter, Meyer Thomas
Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Göttingen, Von-Siebold-Str. 5, Göttingen, Germany.
Neuropsychiatr. 2025 Jun 16. doi: 10.1007/s40211-025-00528-4.
Although family factors affecting the development of eating disorders (EDs) have been extensively studied, it is unknown whether the age gaps between the parents and their affected child have an impact on the overall psychopathological symptom severity.
In a cohort of 510 consecutive study participants diagnosed with an ED and treated between 1991 and 2017, we examined the associations between parent-patient age gaps and scores from the self-report Global Severity Index (GSI), which measures overall psychopathological distress and symptom severity of the nine psychopathological themes of the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R).
In univariate analysis, the GSI scores correlated significantly and negatively between the ED-affected child and the age gap to both the mother (r = -0.119, p = 0.007) and the father (r = -0.108, p = 0.017). Regression models adjusted for body mass index, living in the parental home, and the education level of the patient as clinically relevant confounders confirmed the significant relationship between the overall psychological distress and the age difference to the mother (exp(β) = -0.091, 95% confidence interval [CI] = -0.022-0.000, p = 0.049). In addition, using the same set of confounders, there was a trend toward an association between GSI scores and the paternal age difference to the ED-diagnosed patients (exp(β) = -0.086, 95% CI = -0.018-0.000, p = 0.063).
The symptom severity is more pronounced in cases of a smaller age gap between the parents and their ED-affected child. In multivariate analysis, a significant association was found between a higher self-rated symptom severity and a smaller maternal age difference to the patient. Future studies should thoroughly investigate the influence of parents' age on their offspring's EDs in search of potential underlying mechanisms.
尽管影响饮食失调（EDs）发展的家庭因素已得到广泛研究，但父母与受影响子女之间的年龄差距是否会对整体精神病理症状严重程度产生影响尚不清楚。
在1991年至2017年间连续诊断出患有ED并接受治疗的510名研究参与者队列中，我们研究了父母与患者的年龄差距与自我报告的全球严重程度指数（GSI）得分之间的关联，该指数衡量症状自评量表90修订版（SCL-90-R）九个精神病理主题的整体精神病理困扰和症状严重程度。
在单变量分析中，受ED影响的儿童与母亲（r = -0.119，p = 0.007）和父亲（r = -0.108，p = 0.017）的年龄差距之间，GSI得分存在显著负相关。针对体重指数、居住在父母家中以及患者的教育水平等临床相关混杂因素进行调整的回归模型证实了整体心理困扰与与母亲的年龄差异之间存在显著关系（exp(β) = -0.091，95%置信区间[CI] = -0.022 - 0.000，p = 0.049）。此外，使用同一组混杂因素，GSI得分与父亲与ED诊断患者的年龄差异之间存在关联趋势（exp(β) = -0.086，95% CI = -0.018 - 0.000，p = 0.063）。
父母与受ED影响的子女之间年龄差距较小时，症状严重程度更为明显。在多变量分析中，发现较高的自评症状严重程度与患者与母亲的年龄差异较小之间存在显著关联。未来的研究应深入调查父母年龄对其子女EDs的影响，以寻找潜在的潜在机制。
