Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Apr;27(2):191-199.
doi: 10.1007/s00737-023-01398-x. Epub 2023 Nov 15.

When time worsens framing: a longitudinal analysis of the psychological effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in women with an eating disorder and their healthy sisters

Paolo Meneguzzo  1   2 , Enrico Ceccato  3 , Alessandra Sala  3 , Paolo Santonastaso  4
Affiliations

When time worsens framing: a longitudinal analysis of the psychological effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in women with an eating disorder and their healthy sisters

Paolo Meneguzzo et al. Arch Womens Ment Health. 2024 Apr.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly affected individuals with eating disorders (ED), leading to an exacerbation of symptoms worldwide in 2020. However, there is a lack of longitudinal analyses of the psychological burdens experienced by this population. This study aims to longitudinally assess the psychological effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in people with ED and their healthy sisters (HS) 1 and 2 years after the onset of the crisis. A sample of 148 individuals, consisting of 73 with ED and 45 HS, was evaluated in spring 2021 and spring 2022 regarding their current psychological and behavioral states. Participants were also asked to reflect on their feelings and behaviors during the 2020 lockdown. General psychopathology, eating disorders, and trauma-related symptoms were evaluated using validated questionnaires. Both groups showed an overall improvement in psychopathological symptoms with time. Individuals with ED exhibited greater improvement compared to their HS, which may be attributed to their initially higher burden. Individuals with ED reported a negative reframe, characterized by internalizing negative emotions and behaviors related to the 2020 lockdown. This longitudinal evaluation revealed two distinct and contrasting effects. Both ED patients and their HS demonstrated psychological improvement over time. However, people with ED experienced a negative reframe that affected their memory of specific life events, subsequently affecting their psychological well-being. These findings shed light on the clinical severity observed in people with ED during these pandemic years.

Keywords: COVID-19; Eating disorder; Frame bias; Longitudinal; Negative frame; Trauma.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flow chart of the study showing enrollment in T1 (2021), and responders and nonresponders at T2 (2022)
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Graphical representation of psychological concerns evaluated after 1 year (T1) and 2 years (T2) from the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic using the COVID isolation eating scale. Constructs characterized by significant changes between time points are marked with a *
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Booker JA, Ell M, Fivush R, Greenhoot AF, McLean KC, Wainryb C, Pasupathi M. Early impacts of college, interrupted: considering first-year students’ narratives about covid and reports of adjustment during college shutdowns. Psychol Sci. 2022;33(11):1928–1946. doi: 10.1177/09567976221108941. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Booker JA, Fivush R, Graci ME, Heitz H, Hudak LA, Jovanovic T, Rothbaum BO, Stevens JS. Longitudinal changes in trauma narratives over the first year and associations with coping and mental health. J Affect Disord. 2020;272:116–124. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2020.04.009. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Carmassi C, Tosato S, Bertelloni CA, Pedrinelli V, Cappelli A, Abbate-Daga G, Albert U, Castellini G, Luciano M, Menchetti M, Pompili M, Sampogna G, Signorelli MS, Massimetti G, PsyCOVID Group & Andrea Fiorillo (2022) PTSD trajectories across different mental disorders in the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy: a naturalistic, longitudinal, multicenter study. Int Rev Psychiatry 34(7–8):797–808. 10.1080/09540261.2022.2145184 - PubMed
    1. Cnaan A, Laird NM, Slasor P (1997) Using the general linear mixed model to analyse unbalanced repeated measures and longitudinal data. Stat Med 16(20):2349–2380 - PubMed
    1. Cook B, Mascolo M, Bass G, Duffy ME, Zehring B, Beasley T (2022) Has COVID-19 complicated eating disorder treatment? An examination of comorbidities and treatment response before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Prim Care Companion CNS Disor 24(1):39313 - PubMed

Publication types