Mothers with Dysregulated Eating and Their Offspring's Emotional/Behavioral Functioning During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Descriptive Study

Overview

Journal J Clin Med

Specialty General Medicine

Date 2024 Feb 24

PMID 38398331

Authors

Luca Cerniglia

Silvia Cimino

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objective: Research on the psychopathological effects of the COVID-19 pandemic has not specifically focused on mothers with dysregulated eating and their children.

Methods: This study aimed to observe whether the symptoms of mothers with binge eating episodes (assessed through the SCL-90/R and the TFEQ-R18) worsened from the pre-pandemic period (T1) to the pandemic period (T2). In addition, we sought to assess whether the levels of internalizing/externalizing and dysregulation symptoms in children (assessed through the CBCL 6-18) worsened from T1 to T2.

Results: Our results showed that the values obtained for mothers in the SCL-90/R were significantly higher at T2 (during the pandemic), particularly for Depression, Phobic Anxiety, Interpersonal Sensitivity, and Obsessive-Compulsive subscales. Moreover, in both the Emotional Eating and Uncontrolled Eating subscales of the TFEQ-R18, mothers at T2 scored substantially higher than mothers at T1. The emotional/behavioral functioning of children was more maladaptive at T2, according to mothers, especially for the subscales of Withdrawn, Anxious/Depressed, and Aggressive Behavior. Children also had significantly higher scores on the Internalizing and Externalizing subscales, as well as greater symptoms of dysregulation.

Conclusions: This study contributes to demonstrating that the COVID-19 pandemic may have had increased maladaptive emotional/behavioral functioning in children and their mothers with dysregulated eating.

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