Childhood maltreatment in young females with an eating disorder: associations with self-esteem, body experience, and symptom severity

Females with EDs reported more childhood maltreatment than controls did, but associations with body experience appeared more similar across groups. Notably, associations between childhood maltreatment and self-esteem were only found in controls. The findings highlight the relevance of self-esteem and body experience in females with childhood maltreatment, irrespective of psychopathology, and the need for further identification of transdiagnostic factors associated with childhood maltreatment in individuals with ED.