Eating disorders during lockdown: the transcultural influence on eating and mood disturbances in Ibero-Brazilian population

Abstract

Plain English Summary Adverse consequences on mental health derived from COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown particularly affected people with mental illness, including eating disorders (EDs), being the involvement of socio-cultural features poorly studied. We aimed to assess eating and mood changes in EDs during lockdown regarding ED subtypes, age, provenance, and considering socio-cultural aspects. 264 females with EDs linked to specialized ED units in Brazil, Portugal, and Spain were evaluated using the COVID-19 Isolation Eating Scale (CIES). A global impairment in mood symptoms and emotion regulation was reported regardless ED subtype, age, and country. Spanish and Portuguese individuals seemed more resilient than Brazilian ones, who reported a more adverse socio-cultural context. A global trend to eating symptoms worsening was observed, regardless of the ED subtype, age, and country, but without statistical significance. Patients with anorexia nervosa and binge eating disorder (BED) described eating style worsening. Moreover, the BED group significantly increased weight and body mass index, similarly to bulimia nervosa, and in contrast to the other subtypes. In sum, a psychopathological impairment was observed in EDs during lockdown, suggesting that socio-cultural aspects could be considered as potential modulatory factors. Nevertheless, these are preliminary results, being longitudinal studies and long-term follow-ups still needed. This work also highlights the importance of more personalized therapeutic approaches.

Keywords

• Eating disorders
• Lockdown
• COVID-19 isolation eating scale (CIES)
• Mood disturbances
• Transcultural study