Eating patterns in youth with restricting and binge eating/purging type anorexia nervosa

Abstract

Method Participants included 160 children and adolescents (M = 15.14 ± 2.17 years) evaluated at The University of Chicago Eating Disorders Program who met criteria for DSM-5 restrictive type AN (AN-R; 75%; n = 120) or binge eating/purging type AN (AN-BE/P; 25%; n = 40). All participants completed the eating disorder examination on initial evaluation. Objective To describe eating patterns in youth with restricting and binge/purge type anorexia nervosa (AN) and to examine whether eating patterns are associated with binge eating or purging behaviors. Results Youth with AN-R and AN-BE/P differed in their eating patterns, such that youth with AN-R consumed meals and snacks more regularly relative to youth with AN-BE/P. Among youth with AN-BE/P, skipping dinner was associated with a greater number of binge eating episodes (r = -.379, p < .05), while skipping breakfast was associated with a greater number of purging episodes (r = -.309, p