Social phobia, depression and eating disorders during middle adolescence: longitudinal associations and treatment seeking
Sammanfattning
Background: Longitudinal associations between social phobia (SP), depression and eating disorders
(EDs), and the impact of antecedent SP and depression on subsequent treatment seeking for EDs have
rarely been explored in prospective adolescent population studies.
Aim: We aimed to examine these associations in a large-scale follow-up study among middle
adolescents.
Method: We surveyed 3278 Finnish adolescents with a mean age of 15 years for these disorders. Two
years later, 2070 were reached and again surveyed for psychopathology and treatment seeking.
Longitudinal associations between the self-reported disorders and treatment-seeking patterns for selfacknowledged
ED symptoms were examined in multivariate analyses, controlling for SP/depression
comorbidity and relevant socioeconomic covariates.
Results: Self-reported anorexia nervosa (AN) at age 15 years predicted self-reported depression at age
17 years. Furthermore, self-reported SP at age 15 years predicted not seeking treatment for bulimia
nervosa (BN) symptoms, while self-reported depression at age 15 years predicted not seeking treatment
for AN symptoms during the follow-up period.
Conclusions: Adolescents with AN should be monitored for subsequent depression. Barriers caused by
SP to help seeking for BN, and by depression for AN, should be acknowledged by healthcare professionals
who encounter socially anxious and depressive adolescents, especially when they present with
eating problems.