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Dysregulated sexuality and childhood trauma in eating disorders: Psychopathological, biological, and behavioural correlates
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 13 August 2021
Abstract
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Introduction
Sexual dysfunction is common in eating disorders (EDs), but its relevance is often overlooked.
Objectives
To describe different ED clinical subgroups in terms of psychopathology, putative biological correlates, and consequences of dysregulated sexuality, focusing on the role of childhood trauma.
Methods
Healthy controls (n=60), binge-purging (n=38), and restricting patients (n=24) were compared (age- and BMI-adjusted ANOVA; Bonferroni post-hoc tests), using total scores of Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q), Emotional Eating Scale (EES), SCL-90-R Global Severity Index (GSI), Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11), Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), Female Sexual Functioning Index (FSFI), Hypersexual Behaviour Inventory (HBI), and patients’ hormonal profiles (gonadal and pituitary hormones, ghrelin). Self-reported voluntary termination of pregnancy (VTP) and promiscuous sexual activity were recorded. For ED patients (N=62), regression analyses between significant variables and HBI were carried, applying moderation models for different CTQ scores.
Results
Table 1 outlines significant between-group comparisons (°: different from controls; *: different from restricting patients; p<0.05). Binge-purging patients had higher FSH, LH, and ghrelin levels, more VTPs and promiscuity. HBI showed significant correlations with EES, SCL-90-R-GSI, DERS, CTQ, and ghrelin levels. CTQ moderated interactions for DERS and EES (Figure 1).
| Binge-purging | Restricting | Controls | F | |
| EDE-Q | 3.86±1.20° | 3.41±1.64° | 0.85±0.83 | 67.32 |
| EES | 40.85±22.74°* | 16.01±15.88 | 19.87±15.21 | 7.01 |
| SCL-90-R GSI | 1.73±0.65° | 1.27±0.69° | 0.68±0.44 | 20.32 |
| BIS-11 | 62.47±9.91° | 60.81±8.56 | 57.04±10.04 | 4.99 |
| DERS | 106.97±29.15°* | 83.97±33.12 | 78.14±14.12 | 10.21 |
| CTQ | 55.32±21.06° | 49.31±10.81° | 38.02±8.32 | 15.24 |
| FSFI | 17.32±11.89°* | 11.70±10.98° | 29.32±7.45 | 24.02 |
| HBI | 28.75±13.89* | 20.56±3.12 | 26.11±4.90 | 4.92 |
Conclusions
Dysregulated sexuality is linked to emotion dysregulation and childhood trauma. Binge-purging patients experience adverse behavioural consequences.
Disclosure
No significant relationships.
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- European Psychiatry , Volume 64 , Special Issue S1: Abstracts of the 29th European Congress of Psychiatry , April 2021 , pp. S112 - S113
- Creative Commons
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.- Copyright
- © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the European Psychiatric Association
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