The Connection Between Adverse Childhood Experiences and Eating Disorders

By Olivia Kline, EDC Administrative Assistant

Content Warning: This blog post discusses trauma. Please practice self-care in whatever way works for you. 

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can be defined as experiencing neglect, physical and/or emotional abuse, or other adverse experiences before the age of 18. ACEs are considered a public health crisis and are connected to experiencing mental and physical health problems later in life (Rienecke et al., 2022). These experiences can be measured through a questionnaire that asks about early childhood experiences; participants answer with a “yes” or “no”. The number of yes’s are added up giving a total score 0 through 10. In a nationally represented sample of over 200,000 adults, 23.5% reported one ACE and 15.8% reported at least four ACEs (Rienecke et al., 2022). These stats show the prevalence of ACEs, although this is something that is not talked about often, at least in my experience. 

As a psychology major graduate and current graduate student in a clinical mental health counseling program, the connection between ACEs and risk for mental health disorders makes sense. However, I wasn’t aware of the long-term effects or prevalence of ACEs until I read Dr. Nadine Burke-Harris’s book “The Deepest Well: Healing the Long-Term Effects of Childhood Adversity.” This book enlightened me about the long-term impacts of ACEs and to how they are linked not just to mental health issues, but to physical health problems too. 

Learning more about the effects of ACEs sparked my curiosity in how they may have a role in eating disorders, as it relates to my current work. Guillaume et al. (2016) conducted a study examining the association between ACEs and clinical characteristics of eating disorders. To investigate this, researchers used a questionnaire that analyzed the following characteristics: restraint, eating, shape and weight concerns, and daily functioning. Childhood trauma was also assessed using a questionnaire. The results suggested that there is an association between clinical aspects of eating disorders and reported childhood trauma. A dose-response effect was also discovered, which means the more childhood trauma an individual experienced the more eating disorder symptoms they reported. 

Reading and learning about this association can bring up many different emotions. Relief is a common feeling, as many feel like they further understand an underlying association to what they are struggling with. This can also be overwhelming or anxiety inducing as it’s a lot to take in and digest. These are all valid reactions.

Given the impact of ACES, there are also studies that have researched how to achieve the best outcomes within these situations. Research recommends that clinicians should utilize trauma-informed care and trauma-focused interventions when treating individuals for eating disorders who have adverse childhood experiences (Brewerton, 2022). Here, at the Eating Disorder Center all of our clinicians are trauma-informed, making us unique from other practices. 

At the Eating Disorder Center we realize that clients all have backgrounds and layers related to their eating disorders, which is why trauma-informed care is so important. The Eating Disorder Center can help you start your recovery journey or support you through recovery! We have therapists that can help in MD, DC, VA, & FL, as well as coaches worldwide that can assist you through your journey.

References:

• Brewerton, T. D. (2022, November 14). Mechanisms by which adverse childhood experiences, other traumas and PTSD influence the health and well-being of individuals with eating disorders throughout the life span - journal of eating disorders. BioMed Central. https://jeatdisord.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40337-022-00696-6 
• Guillaume, S., Jaussent, I., Maimoun, L., Ryst, A., Seneque, M., Villain, L., Hamroun, D., Lefebvre, P., Renard, E., & Courtet, P. (2016, November 2). Associations between adverse childhood experiences and clinical characteristics of eating disorders. Scientific reports. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5090200/ 
• Harris, B. N. (2018). The Deepest Well: Healing the Long-Term Effects of Childhood Adversity. HarperCollins.
• Rienecke, R. D., Johnson, C., Grange, D. L., Manwaring, J., Mehler, P. S., Duffy, A., McClanahan, S., & Blalock, D. V. (2022, August 8). Adverse childhood experiences among adults with eating disorders: Comparison to a nationally representative sample and identification of trauma profiles - journal of eating disorders. BioMed Central. https://jeatdisord.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40337-022-00594-x

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The Eating Disorder Center is a premier outpatient eating disorder therapy center founded by Jennifer Rollin. We specialize in helping teens and adults struggling with anorexia, binge eating disorder, bulimia, OSFED, and body image issues. We provide eating disorder therapy in Rockville, MD, easily accessible to individuals in Potomac, North Potomac, Bethesda, Olney, Silver Spring, Germantown, and Washington D.C. We also provide eating disorder therapy in Arlington, Virginia and virtually throughout Virginia. Additionally, we offer eating disorder therapy virtually in New York (NYC), Florida, and California. We provide eating disorder recovery coaching via Zoom to people worldwide. Connect with us through our website at www.theeatingdisordercenter.com