Abstract
Childhood bullying is associated with a range of adverse mental health outcomes, and here we investigated the association between bullying exposure and eating disorders (EDs). In this case-control study, we compared bullying history in individuals with EDs with community controls. Participants (n=890, mean age=29.50 ± 10.60) completed an online self-report battery assessing bullying history and lifetime history of bulimia nervosa (BN), binge-eating disorder (BED), and anorexia nervosa (binge-eating/purging (AN-BP) or restrictive (AN-R) subtype). Logistic regressions were performed to estimate odds ratios (ORs). In the combined ED sample, individuals with a history of any ED were significantly more likely than controls to have experienced bullying victimization during childhood or adolescence (ORs=1.99-3.30), particularly verbal, indirect, and digital bullying. Bullying prior to ED onset was also significantly more common than bullying within the same time frame for controls (ORs=1.75-2.16). Further analysis showed that these effects were due to individuals with BN or BED reporting significantly more lifetime (p < .001) and premorbid bullying (p=.002) than controls, while individuals in the other diagnostic subgroups did not differ significantly from controls. Our results confirm an association between bullying and binge-eating/purging ED subtypes. Prospective studies are needed to establish bullying as a risk factor for EDs.
Highlights
Bullying is a form of aggressive behavior that is intentional, occurs repeatedly, and targets a less powerful individual or someone who has difficulty defending themself (Olweus, 1994)
There were no significant differences in frequency, severity, or age of bullying experiences between individuals with eating disorder (ED) and controls
Individuals with bulimia nervosa (BN)/binge-eating disorder (BED) were significantly more likely to have been bullied at any point in their life than individuals in the anorexia nervosa restrictive subtype (AN-R) group, but these groups did
Summary
Bullying is a form of aggressive behavior that is intentional, occurs repeatedly, and targets a less powerful individual or someone who has difficulty defending themself (Olweus, 1994). Bullying victimization has been associated with a range of ED symptoms such as restricted eating, bulimic behaviors, and binge eating in both clinical and non-clinical populations (Copeland et al, 2015; Haines, Neumark-Sztainer, Eisenberg, & Hannan, 2006; Kwan, Gordon, Minnich, Carter, & TroopGordon, 2017), but only a few studies have directly compared bullying history in people with and without EDs. A recent review and metaanalysis showed that individuals with EDs were two- to threefold more likely to have experienced bullying prior to ED onset than healthy controls (Lie, Rø, & Bang, 2019). Because previous studies have found specific associations between bullying and binge-eating/purging subtypes of EDs, we included a secondary aim (c) to investigate whether bullying exposure differed between binge-eating/purging and restrictive ED subtypes. We hypothesized that individuals with EDs would report more frequent bullying than controls, and that the association would be stronger for binge-eating/purging subtypes than restrictive subtypes
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
