HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE OF EATING DISORDERS IN CHILEAN ADOLESCENTS

• Published in: Journal of adolescent health 2019-02, Vol.64 (2S), p.S33
• Main Authors: Inostroza, Carolina, Urrejola, Pascuala, Zubarew, Tamara, Correa, Maria Loreto, Gil, Aurora A, Bedregal, Paula, Vogel, Melina
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescents; Anorexia; Binge eating; Body mass index; Body weight; Bulimia; Clinical assessment; Cognition; Disease; Eating behavior; Eating disorders; Functional impairment; Health insurance; Health status; Insurance companies; Long term health care; Medical diagnosis; Medicine; Mental disorders; Mental health care; Mental health services; Outpatient treatment; Patients; Psychopathology; Psychosocial factors; Psychosocial functioning; Public health; Purging; Quality of life; Questionnaires; Substance abuse; Subtypes; Teenagers; Women
• ISSN: 1054-139X; 1879-1972

Purpose: The aim of the current study was to investigate psychosocial functioning in different subtypes of eating disorders (ED), within a sample of adolescents receiving outpatient treatment in eating disorders centers in Chile. Methods: A cross-sectional exploratory design study, in adolescents recruited in eating disorders treatment centers in Santiago, Chile. All patients met DSM-5 criteria. Patients with substance abuse or with other psychiatric disorders were excluded. After a written consent was obtained, an individually questionnaire with demographical and disease information was filled. Participants had to complete the Clinical Impairment Assessment Questionnaire (CIA), Version 3.0 (Bohn & Fairburn, 2008), a 16-item self - report questionnaire of functional impairment secondary to ED psychopathology during the past 28 days. Items investigate impairment in 3 individual domains of life (personal, social and cognitive). Results: 63 patients (76.2% women ) with ED were recruited between March 2017 and July 2018, with a mean age of 16.8 years (SD 2.56). Diagnoses included Anorexia Nervosa: 40 ( 63.5%) , Bulimia Nervosa: 13 (20.6%) , Avoidant Restrictive Eating Disorder: 4 (6.3%), Unspecified Eating Disorder: 3 (4.7%), and Binge Eating: 1 (1.6%). A high level of psychosocial impairment ( personal, social and cognitive) was found in ED adolescents studied, with a CIA score = 25.8 12.25 ( impairment score defined 16). Although, there was no significant differences in life domain specific -impairment between different types of ED, CIA global scores were higher in patients with BED, ARFID and AN purging type. No significant difference was found between psychosocial impairment and BMI, delay in diagnosis, medical sequelae, and number of previous treatment. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that Chilean adolescents with ED have a high level of psychosocial impairment independent of the type of ED or length of disease. This ED related impairment demonstrates the need to implement long-term care and follow-up services for adolescents with ED, with an emphasis on long-term psychosocial functioning. To accomplish this, and as a first step, there is a need to include mental health coverage by private insurance companies, and improve public mental health services in Chile.