Publications by authors named "Marie-Christine Opitz"

Anxiety symptoms and eating disorder symptoms commonly co-occur in adolescents. However, there is divergent evidence on the prospective relationship between the two factors. This systematic review and meta-analysis summarises the existing literature on the prospective and bi-directional relationship between anxiety symptoms and eating disorder symptoms in adolescence.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study addresses the lack of a consistent definition for orthorexia nervosa (ON), a term coined in 1997 to describe an unhealthy obsession with "correct" eating habits, highlighting gaps in research and diagnostic criteria.
  • A modified Delphi process was conducted with 47 international experts to gather insights on ON, where participants evaluated 67 statements regarding its definition and clinical aspects in a three-phase feedback process.
  • Ultimately, 27 statements reached a consensus, contributing to proposed diagnostic criteria for ON, which aims to aid in future research and understanding of the disorder.
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Research suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic is negatively impacting mental health, with rates of eating disorder referrals in particular rising steeply during the pandemic. This study aimed to examine 8-month changes in body image and disordered eating during the COVID-19 pandemic, and explore whether any changes were moderated by gender, age, or eating disorder history. This study used a longitudinal survey design in which 587 adults living in the UK (85 % women; mean age = 32.

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COVID-19 may have substantial impact on the mental health at a population level, but also has the potential to significantly affect those with pre-existing mental health difficulties such as eating disorders. This qualitative study explores the impact of COVID-19 and associated public health measures on adults with eating disorders within the UK. We conducted 10 in depth interviews with adults (24-38 years) with a self-reported eating disorder during lockdown.

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The main objective of this systematic review was to provide a comprehensive overview of the psychometric properties of all available Orthorexia Nervosa (ON) assessment tools, in order to evaluate their scope of application for research and practice. Ten databases were searched for studies quantitatively assessing ON. The psychometric properties were evaluated according to specified quality criteria, focusing on the reliability, structural validity and construct validity of the scales.

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