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BRIEF RESEARCH REPORT article

Front. Psychiatry
Sec. Psychopathology
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1500740
This article is part of the Research Topic New Insights into Social Isolation and Loneliness, Volume II View all 4 articles

Bridging Trauma and Eating Disorders: The Role of Loneliness

Provisionally accepted
Paolo Meneguzzo Paolo Meneguzzo 1*Anna Marzotto Anna Marzotto 2Barbara Mezzani Barbara Mezzani 3Fabio Conti Fabio Conti 4Luca Maggi Luca Maggi 5Patrizia Todisco Patrizia Todisco 2
  • 1 University of Padua, Padua, Italy
  • 2 Casa di Cura Villa Margherita, Vicenza, Veneto, Italy
  • 3 Casa di Cura Villa dei Pini, Firenze, Italy
  • 4 Casa di Cura Villa Armonia, Roma, Italy
  • 5 Casa di Cura Ville di Nozzano, Nozzano, Italy

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Introduction: Eating disorders (EDs) are complex and often linked to traumatic childhood experiences. While childhood trauma is known to increase the risk of EDs, the role of loneliness remains underexplored. This study investigates whether loneliness mediates the relationship between childhood trauma and ED symptoms. Methods: A total of 230 individuals with EDs completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, the UCLA Loneliness Scale, and the Eating Disorders Examination Questionnaire. Mediation analysis was conducted to assess if loneliness mediates the relationship between childhood trauma and ED severity. Results: Childhood trauma significantly predicted higher levels of loneliness (p < 0.001), which was associated with more severe ED symptoms (p = 0.001), with age and BMI as covariates. Mediation analysis showed loneliness partially mediated the relationship between childhood trauma and ED severity (indirect effect b = 0.003, 95%CI [0.001, 0.006]). Conclusion: Loneliness partially mediates childhood trauma and ED symptoms, highlighting the need to address loneliness in treatment to mitigate the impact of childhood trauma on ED severity. These findings suggest the possible role of social connection-focused interventions in ED care and contribute to understanding the mechanisms underlying the development of EDs. Future research should explore additional mediators and moderators to provide a more comprehensive perspective.

    Keywords: Trauma, Loneliness, Mediation, child trauma, Psychopathology, Eating Disorders

    Received: 23 Sep 2024; Accepted: 25 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Meneguzzo, Marzotto, Mezzani, Conti, Maggi and Todisco. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Paolo Meneguzzo, University of Padua, Padua, Italy

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.