Positive Childhood Experiences May Protect Against Disordered Eating During College

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 20, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Benevolent childhood experiences (BCEs) have a protective effect against disordered eating behaviors, according to a study published online Aug. 6 in Adversity and Resilience Science.

Cynthia Y. Yoon, from Pusan National University in Busan, South Korea, and Craig A. Johnston, Ph.D., from the University of Houston, conducted a cross-sectional study to examine how childhood experiences are related to disordered eating behaviors among college students. The analysis included data from 1,634 college students.

The researchers found that the predicted probability of disordered eating behaviors was highest among those with a high rate of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and a low rate of BCEs (predicted probability, 38.5 to 64.2 percent) when adjusting for sociodemographic variables. Those with a low rate of ACEs and high rate of BCEs had the lowest predicted probability (22.1 to 47.4 percent). Compared with students with a high rate of ACEs and low rate of BCEs, those with a low rate of ACEs and high rate of BCEs had 0.59 to 0.75 times the prevalence of disordered eating behaviors.

“Given that childhood experiences, both good and bad, have a strong and lasting impact in eating behaviors, it is important to support families, caregivers, neighbors and teachers in creating a warm, caring and non-hostile environment,” Yoon said in a statement.

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