Presentation Type
Poster
Full Name of Faculty Mentor
Melissa Paiva-Salisbury, Psychology
Major
Psychology
Presentation Abstract
Mental illness is America's leading cause of disability (Rehm & Shield, 2019). Of particular concern is the finding that more than 60% of college students meet the criteria for one or more mental illnesses, an increase of nearly 50% from 2013 (Lipson et al., 2022). Young adults, particularly young women, are vulnerable to anxiety, depression, and eating disorders [ED(s)] (De Young, 2017). Given the high incidence of depression, anxiety, EDs, their comorbidities, and their profound effect, their correlation must be thoroughly investigated, especially in a highly susceptible college-aged population (Sander et al., 2021). This study examines the relationship between anxiety, depression, and EDs in a college-aged population while considering transdiagnostic variables. Participants (n=998) were mostly female (65.1%), 20-29 (56.7%), and white (79.4%). 38% were at a high-risk for an ED, and 18.1% screened positive for at least one ED. ED-positive participants reported significantly higher scores for anxiety (ED: M = 11.56, SD = 6.02; NKR: M = 7.01, SD = 5.66, p < .0001), depression (ED: M = 12.03, SD = 6.74; NKR: M = 6.47, SD = 5.55, p < .0001) than those with no known risk [NKR]. Women were 4.06x more likely to screen positive for EDs and also had higher anxiety and depression scores (GAD7: M=9.52, p<.0001, PHQ9: M=9.15) than males (GAD7: M=6.20, p<.0001, PHQ9: M=5.90). Participants who screened positive for an ED reported lower scores for family (ED: M = 5.04, SD = 1.79; NKR: M = 5.69, SD = 1.53, p < .0001) and total perceived social support (ED: M = 5.31, SD = 1.32; NKR: M = 5.53, SD = 1.32, p < .05).
Start Date
11-4-2023 10:00 AM
End Date
11-4-2023 12:00 PM
Disciplines
Psychology
Recommended Citation
Bretton, Adam, "Eating Disorders, Depression, and Anxiety: A Multivariate Survey of College Students" (2023). Undergraduate Research Competition. 31.
https://digitalcommons.coastal.edu/ugrc/2023/fullconference/31
Included in
Eating Disorders, Depression, and Anxiety: A Multivariate Survey of College Students
Mental illness is America's leading cause of disability (Rehm & Shield, 2019). Of particular concern is the finding that more than 60% of college students meet the criteria for one or more mental illnesses, an increase of nearly 50% from 2013 (Lipson et al., 2022). Young adults, particularly young women, are vulnerable to anxiety, depression, and eating disorders [ED(s)] (De Young, 2017). Given the high incidence of depression, anxiety, EDs, their comorbidities, and their profound effect, their correlation must be thoroughly investigated, especially in a highly susceptible college-aged population (Sander et al., 2021). This study examines the relationship between anxiety, depression, and EDs in a college-aged population while considering transdiagnostic variables. Participants (n=998) were mostly female (65.1%), 20-29 (56.7%), and white (79.4%). 38% were at a high-risk for an ED, and 18.1% screened positive for at least one ED. ED-positive participants reported significantly higher scores for anxiety (ED: M = 11.56, SD = 6.02; NKR: M = 7.01, SD = 5.66, p < .0001), depression (ED: M = 12.03, SD = 6.74; NKR: M = 6.47, SD = 5.55, p < .0001) than those with no known risk [NKR]. Women were 4.06x more likely to screen positive for EDs and also had higher anxiety and depression scores (GAD7: M=9.52, p<.0001, PHQ9: M=9.15) than males (GAD7: M=6.20, p<.0001, PHQ9: M=5.90). Participants who screened positive for an ED reported lower scores for family (ED: M = 5.04, SD = 1.79; NKR: M = 5.69, SD = 1.53, p < .0001) and total perceived social support (ED: M = 5.31, SD = 1.32; NKR: M = 5.53, SD = 1.32, p < .05).