Adverse Childhood Experiences and Disordered Eating Behaviors Among US Children: Untangling the Developmental Sex Differences.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

This study examined associations between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and heterogeneous disordered eating behaviors (DEBs) in a nationally representative sample of US children, investigating how sex and developmental stage jointly moderate these relationships.

Method

Data from the 2022-2023 National Survey of Children's Health included 67,607 children aged 6-17 years (weighted N = 50,023,339), with information collected from caregivers. Latent class analysis identified DEB patterns. Multinomial logistic regression analyzed associations between both cumulative ACE scores and specific ACE types with DEB classes. Average marginal effects assessed how sex and developmental stage modified these associations.

Results

Among participants, 44% had experienced

SUBMITTER: Lu Z 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12703221 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature