DClinPsy Portfolio Volume 1 of 3 - University of Hertfordshire ...

Moreover, 13% of those aged 12–14 years and 16% of those aged 15–18 years had scores
above the recommended cut-off ( 20) for disordered eating on the EAT-26 (Jones,
Bennett, Olmstead, Lawson and Rodin, 2001). These figures are comparable to this
study’s findings, despite a different measure being used.
Other studies with less stringent criteria and lower cut offs for disordered eating present
very high prevalence figures (e.g. Croll, Neumark-Sztainer, Story, Ireland, 2002). Croll,
et al, (2002), found that 56% of 9th-grade females reported disordered eating behaviours
with slightly higher rates among 12th-grade females, (i.e. 57%). Thus there are more
cases of disordered eating in adolescent females then there are of eating disorders. EDs
are at the most extreme end of the continuum with the prevalence of AN estimated at
around .3% and BN under 1% (Nobakht & Dezhkam, 2000). Incidence rates of AN are
highest for females aged 15–19, who represent approximately 40% of all identified cases
and 60% of female cases (van Hoeken, Seidell, & Hoek, 2003). An Office for National
Statistics survey (2000) reported a prevalence rate of eating disorders generally in U.K
11–15 year olds of 4 per 1,000 (Gowers and Bryant-Waugh, 2004). Thus our findings of
disordered eating are as would be expected, as we did not anticipate finding clinical cases
in a normal sample (of such a size) of 12-15 year olds. Evidently not all of the individuals
displaying disordered eating go on to develop a clinical ED.
Why focus on disordered eating in adolescence?
The importance of investigating disordered eating in adolescence is to understand the
continuum of eating disturbances as some of the sub-clinical individuals will go on to
develop an eating disorder (e.g. Patton Selzer, Coffey, Carlin, and Wolfe, (1999). Kotler,
Cohen, Davies, Pine and Walsh, (2001) reported that those with disordered eating or subclinical
levels of eating disorders in adolescence were more likely to develop an eating
disorder. Kotler, et al, (2001) found that early adolescent bulimic symptoms were
associated with a nine-fold increase in the risk for late adolescent bulimia and a 20-fold
increase in risk for adult bulimia.
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