Paulo P P Machado1, Ana Pinto-Bastos2, Rita Ramos2, Tânia F Rodrigues2, Elsa Louro2, Sónia Gonçalves2, Isabel Brandão3, Ana Vaz2. 1. Psychotherapy and Psychopathology Research Unit - Psychology Research Centre, University of Minho, School of Psychology, Braga, Portugal. pmachado@psi.uminho.pt. 2. Psychotherapy and Psychopathology Research Unit - Psychology Research Centre, University of Minho, School of Psychology, Braga, Portugal. 3. Faculty of Medicine, Psychiatry Department, University Hospital Center of São João, 4200-319, Porto, Portugal.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Lockdown implemented to prevent the COVID-19 spread resulted in marked changes in the lifestyle. The objective of the current study was to assess the impact of lockdown measures on a cohort of eating disorder (ED) patients being followed as part of an ongoing naturalistic treatment study. METHODS: Ninety-nine patients aged 18 or older, currently or previously, in treatment at a Portuguese specialized hospital unit were contacted by phone and invited to participate in the current survey. Fifty-nine agreed to be interviewed by phone, and 43 agreed to respond to a set of self-report measures of ED symptoms, emotion regulation difficulties, clinical impairment, negative urgency, and COVID-19 impact, during the week after the end of the lockdown period. RESULTS: Data showed that of the 26 patients currently in treatment: 8 remained unchanged (31%), 7 deteriorated (27%), and 11 reliably improved (42%). Of the 17 participants not currently in treatment: 3 deteriorated (18%), 9 remained unchanged (53%), and 5 (29%) improved after the lockdown period. The Coronavirus Impact Scale showed that most patients considered their routines moderately or extremely impacted, experienced stress related to coronavirus, and showed difficulty in maintaining physical exercise and feeding routines. Results suggest that higher impact of COVID-19 lockdown was significantly correlated with eating disorder symptoms and associated psychopathology, impulsivity, difficulties in emotion regulation and clinical impairment measured at post-lockdown. In addition, the impact of COVID-19 and lockdown measures on clinical impairment was mediated by difficulties in emotion regulation. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that some ED patients may experience worsening of their condition, especially if associated with difficulties in emotion regulation, and these difficulties might be exacerbated in the context of a stressful crisis and lockdown measures, highlighting the need for intervention strategies to mitigate its negative impact.
BACKGROUND: Lockdown implemented to prevent the COVID-19 spread resulted in marked changes in the lifestyle. The objective of the current study was to assess the impact of lockdown measures on a cohort of eating disorder (ED) patients being followed as part of an ongoing naturalistic treatment study. METHODS: Ninety-nine patients aged 18 or older, currently or previously, in treatment at a Portuguese specialized hospital unit were contacted by phone and invited to participate in the current survey. Fifty-nine agreed to be interviewed by phone, and 43 agreed to respond to a set of self-report measures of ED symptoms, emotion regulation difficulties, clinical impairment, negative urgency, and COVID-19 impact, during the week after the end of the lockdown period. RESULTS: Data showed that of the 26 patients currently in treatment: 8 remained unchanged (31%), 7 deteriorated (27%), and 11 reliably improved (42%). Of the 17 participants not currently in treatment: 3 deteriorated (18%), 9 remained unchanged (53%), and 5 (29%) improved after the lockdown period. The Coronavirus Impact Scale showed that most patients considered their routines moderately or extremely impacted, experienced stress related to coronavirus, and showed difficulty in maintaining physical exercise and feeding routines. Results suggest that higher impact of COVID-19 lockdown was significantly correlated with eating disorder symptoms and associated psychopathology, impulsivity, difficulties in emotion regulation and clinical impairment measured at post-lockdown. In addition, the impact of COVID-19 and lockdown measures on clinical impairment was mediated by difficulties in emotion regulation. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that some ED patients may experience worsening of their condition, especially if associated with difficulties in emotion regulation, and these difficulties might be exacerbated in the context of a stressful crisis and lockdown measures, highlighting the need for intervention strategies to mitigate its negative impact.
Authors: Carmen Moreno; Til Wykes; Silvana Galderisi; Merete Nordentoft; Nicolas Crossley; Nev Jones; Mary Cannon; Christoph U Correll; Louise Byrne; Sarah Carr; Eric Y H Chen; Philip Gorwood; Sonia Johnson; Hilkka Kärkkäinen; John H Krystal; Jimmy Lee; Jeffrey Lieberman; Carlos López-Jaramillo; Miia Männikkö; Michael R Phillips; Hiroyuki Uchida; Eduard Vieta; Antonio Vita; Celso Arango Journal: Lancet Psychiatry Date: 2020-07-16 Impact factor: 27.083
Authors: Fernando Fernández-Aranda; Miquel Casas; Laurence Claes; Danielle Clark Bryan; Angela Favaro; Roser Granero; Carlota Gudiol; Susana Jiménez-Murcia; Andreas Karwautz; Daniel Le Grange; Jose M Menchón; Kate Tchanturia; Janet Treasure Journal: Eur Eat Disord Rev Date: 2020-05
Authors: Andrea Phillipou; Denny Meyer; Erica Neill; Eric J Tan; Wei Lin Toh; Tamsyn E Van Rheenen; Susan L Rossell Journal: Int J Eat Disord Date: 2020-06-01 Impact factor: 5.791
Authors: Michael Zeiler; Tanja Wittek; Leonie Kahlenberg; Eva-Maria Gröbner; Martina Nitsch; Gudrun Wagner; Stefanie Truttmann; Helene Krauss; Karin Waldherr; Andreas Karwautz Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2021-04-16 Impact factor: 3.390
Authors: Isabel Baenas; Mikel Etxandi; Lucero Munguía; Roser Granero; Gemma Mestre-Bach; Isabel Sánchez; Emilio Ortega; Alba Andreu; Violeta L Moize; Jose-Manuel Fernández-Real; Francisco J Tinahones; Carlos Diéguez; Gema Frühbeck; Daniel Le Grange; Kate Tchanturia; Andreas Karwautz; Michael Zeiler; Hartmut Imgart; Annika Zanko; Angela Favaro; Laurence Claes; Ia Shekriladze; Eduardo Serrano-Troncoso; Raquel Cecilia-Costa; Teresa Rangil; Maria Eulalia Loran-Meler; José Soriano-Pacheco; Mar Carceller-Sindreu; Rosa Navarrete; Meritxell Lozano; Raquel Linares; Carlota Gudiol; Jordi Carratala; Maria T Plana; Montserrat Graell; David González-Parra; José A Gómez-Del Barrio; Ana R Sepúlveda; Jéssica Sánchez-González; Paulo P P Machado; Anders Håkansson; Ferenc Túry; Bea Pászthy; Daniel Stein; Hana Papezová; Jana Gricova; Brigita Bax; Mikhail F Borisenkov; Sergey V Popov; Denis G Gubin; Ivan M Petrov; Dilara Isakova; Svetlana V Mustafina; Youl-Ri Kim; Michiko Nakazato; Nathalie Godart; Robert van Voren; Tetiana Ilnytska; Jue Chen; Katie Rowlands; Ulrich Voderholzer; Alessio M Monteleone; Janet Treasure; Susana Jiménez-Murcia; Fernando Fernández-Aranda Journal: Nutrients Date: 2021-12-27 Impact factor: 5.717