Eating Disorders Genetics Initiative

The ED100K is a web-based diagnostic questionnaire, based on the Structured Clinical Interview for Axis 1 Disorders, that applies algorithms to participant responses. The number of participants with each diagnosis (AN, BN, BED, and control) will be reported.

Age of eating disorder onset will be considered as the age of first eating disorder symptom as self-reported in the ED100K questionnaire (ED100K). Age of onset will be reported for each eating disorder group.

Current eating disorder symptoms will be determined by self-report responses on the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDEQ). Items ask about eating disorder symptoms over the past 28 days. There are four subscales of the EDEQ--Restraint, Eating Concern, Shape Concern, and Weight Concern--with scores for each ranging from 0-6. Subscales are averaged to compute a total score. Higher scores indicate more eating disorder pathology. Total and subscale sores will be reported to each eating disorder group.

Eating disorder quality of life will be measured with the Eating Disorder Quality of Life (EDQL) self-report questionnaire. The EDQL asks 25 items about the psychological, physical, financial, and work/school impact of an eating disorder over the past 30 days. Items are scored never (0), rarely (1), sometimes (2), often (3), or always (4). Items are summed for a total score ranging from 0-100, representing the overall impact of an eating disorder on life quality. Higher scores indicate a more significant impact of the eating disorder on life quality. Scores will be reported for each eating disorder group.

Quality of life will be measured with the Short Form Health Survey 12 (SF-12) self-report questionnaire. The SF-12 asks 12 items assessing physical and mental health scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating better quality of life. Scores will be reported for each eating disorder group and for controls.

Current depressive symptoms will be measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ). The PHQ asks 9 items about symptoms of depression over the past 2 weeks. Response options range from 0 (not at all) to 3 (nearly every day). Items are summed for a total score, ranging between 0-27 with higher scores indicating more depressive symptoms. Scores will be reported for each eating disorder group and for controls.

The prevalence of a history of major depression will be compared between eating disorder groups. Participants will complete a self-report questionnaire with items linked to the diagnostic criteria for major depression. Those individuals who indicate the presence of all the criterion required for a major depression diagnosis will be considered to have a history of major depression. Prevalence of life-time history of major depression will be reported for each eating disorder group and for controls.

Current anxiety symptoms will be measured using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7 (GAD7) self report questionnaire. GAD7 is a questionnaire for screening and severity measuring of generalized anxiety disorder. GAD7 consists of a total score for the seven items ranging from 0 to 21. Higher scores indicate higher levels of generalized anxiety. Scores will be reported for each eating disorder group and for controls.

The prevalence of a history of a generalized anxiety disorder will be compared between eating disorder groups. Participants will complete a self-report questionnaire with items linked to the diagnostic criteria for an anxiety disorder. Those individuals who indicate the presence of all the criterion required for generalized anxiety disorder diagnosis will be considered to have a history of generalized anxiety disorder. The prevalence of generalized anxiety disorder will be reported for each eating disorder group and for controls.