Dear Colleagues,

Eating pathology and depressive symptoms increase during adolescence [1], yet predictive pathways remain predominantly unexplored, despite their implications for prevention. Body dissatisfaction amongst children and young people is a serious global concern in its own right [2], but is also a risk factor for later depression [3] and disordered eating [4], both of which are major public health issues.

Globally, 20% of children and adolescents are diagnosed with a mental health condition [5], and young people’s mental health is an increasing concern in light of the Covid-19 pandemic [6]. It is also likely that social conditions since the pandemic (such as increased time using social media and reduced emotional regulation) have exacerbated eating disorders [7], with increased restricting and binge-eating behavior reported in the general population [8]. Qualitative work reports that lockdown measures have increased feelings of anxiety and led to an increase in disordered eating symptoms [9]. This illustrates the well-recognized bidirectional relationship between eating pathology and symptoms of anxiety and depression [10].

This Special Issue of the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (IJERPH) will focus on research that considers the complex relationships between body image, disordered eating and mental health in adolescents. A wide range of study designs will be included. Particularly encouraged are (i) studies that further our understanding of the temporal relationships between these variables, and identify novel targets for early intervention; (ii) studies that consider the role of other factors pertinent to adolescence (such as puberty, social media use, and risk-taking behavior); and (iii) inter-disciplinary papers that seek to find new understandings through collaboration (e.g., psychology and public health).

References

1. Goldschmidt, A.B.; Wall, M.; Choo, T.-H.J.; Becker, C.; NeumarkSztainer, D. Shared risk factors for mood-, eating-, and weight-related health outcomes. Health Psychol 2016, 35, 245–252.
2. Al Sabbah, H.; Vereecken, C.A.; Elgar, F.J.; Nansel, T.; Aasvee, K.; Abdeen, Z.; Ojala, ; Ahluwalia, N.; Maes, L. Body weight dissatisfaction and communication with parents among adolescents in 24 countries: international cross-sectional survey. BMC Public Health 2009, 9, 1–10
3. Bornioli, A.; Lewis-Smith, H.; Slater, A.; Bray, I. Body dissatisfaction predicts the onset of depression among adolescent females and males: a prospective study. J Epidemiol Community Health 2020, doi: 10.1136/jech-2019-213033 (accessed on 19 February 2021)
4. Bornioli, A.; Lewis-Smith, H.; Smith, A.; Slater, A.; Bray, I. Adolescent body dissatisfaction and disordered eating: Predictors of later risky health behaviours. Sci. Med 2019, 238, 112458, doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2019.112458
5. World Health Organisation. https://www.who.int/health-topics/mental-health#tab=tab_2 (accessed on 3 August 2020).
6. Power, E.; Hughes, S.; Cotter, D., Cannon, M. Youth Mental Health in the time of COVID-19. Ir J Psychol Med. 2020, 2, 1–15.
7. Fernández-Aranda, F.; Casas, M.; Claes, L.; Bryan, D.C.; Favaro, A.; Granero, R.; Gudiol, C.; Jiménez-Murcia, S.; Karwautz, A.; Le Grange, D.; Menchón, J.M.; Tchanturia, K.; Treasure, J. COVID-19 and implications for eating disorders. Eur Eat Disord Rev. 2020, 28, 239–245. doi: 10.1002/erv.2738. PMID: 32346977; PMCID: PMC7267370
8. Phillipou A., Meyer D., Neill E, Tan EJ, Toh WL, Van Rheenen TE, Rossell SL. Eating and exercise behaviors in eating disorders and the general population during the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia: Initial results from the COLLATE project. Int J Eat Disord. 2020, 53, 1158–1165. doi: 10.1002/eat.23317. Epub 2020 Jun 1. PMID: 32476163; PMCID: PMC7300745.
9. Nutley, S.K.; Falise, A.M.; Henderson, R.; Apostolou, V.; Mathews, C.A.; Striley, C.W. The impact of COVID-19 on disordered eating behavior: a qualitative analysis of social media users' responses to the global pandemic. JMIR Ment Health 2021. doi: 10.2196/26011. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33465035. (accessed on 19 February 2021)
10. Puccio F, Fuller-Tyszkiewicz M, Youssef G, Mitchell S, Byrne M, Allen N, Krug I. Longitudinal Bi-directional Effects of Disordered Eating, Depression and Anxiety. Eur Eat Disord Rev. 2017, 25: 351–358. doi: 10.1002/erv.2525. PMID: 28568971.

Dr. Isabelle Bray
Dr. Helena Lewis-Smith
Dr. Melissa Atkinson
Guest Editors

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• body image
• disordered eating
• eating disorders
• mental health
• anxiety
• depression
• adolescents
• young people