Childhood maltreatment and the risk of eating disorders: a meta-analysis of observational studies

The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to examine the relationship between childhood maltreatment as a variable of exposure and eating disorders as an outcome.

PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar were searched to find manuscripts related to the current research. The search was conducted up until October 2023 and limited to the English language. An odds ratio (OR) based on the random effects method was used to combine studies. One subgroup analysis was performed based on the type of eating disorder and another based on the type of childhood maltreatment.

Thirty eligible studies were recognized for this research. Childhood maltreatment was associated with a rate of eating disorders of more than double: OR 2.37 with 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.84–3.06 (P < 0.001; I² = 92.6%). Childhood maltreatment was associated with anorexia nervosa (OR 1.89, 95% CI 1.47–2.42; Z = 5.03; P < 0.001; I² = 0%), bulimia nervosa (OR 2.64, 95% CI 1.34–5.17; Z = 2.82; P = 0.005; I² = 93.1%), and binge eating disorder (OR 1.76, 95% CI 1.38–2.26; Z = 4.52; P < 0.001; I² = 80.2%).

The findings of this research showed that childhood maltreatment significantly increases the risk of eating disorders. Therefore, in understanding the mechanisms related to eating disorders, it is necessary to pay attention to the issue of the childhood living environment and the traumatic experiences of that time.