{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,11]],"date-time":"2026-10-11T22:11:43Z","timestamp":1791756703767,"version":"4.3.4"},"reference-count":40,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,12,25]],"date-time":"2024-12-25T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1735084800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Italian Ministry of Health"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Nutrients"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Anorexia nervosa is a serious eating disorder that mainly affects children and adolescents. Most patients present with extreme body dissatisfaction and an obsessive focus on body weight and food. Anorexia nervosa is a complex and multifactorial condition characterised by biological, psychological, and social factors. However, studies that have explored the cumulative risk that predisposes to anorexia nervosa are limited. This study aims to explore the potential risk factors for a severe form of the disease in patients affected by anorexia nervosa and to identify whether they may interact and reinforce each other, contributing to the severity of the disorder. Methods: For this study, we enrolled children and adolescents under 18 years of age hospitalised at IRCCS Bambino Ges\u00f9 Pediatric Hospital, Rome, Italy, for anorexia nervosa from 1 December 2022 to 31 August 2024, identifying and analysing potential risk factors. Elevated shape and weight concerns were found in all patients. Psychiatric and neurodevelopment comorbidities were identified in 76 patients (51.35%), life stress events in 69 (46.62%), and a family history of eating and weight control behaviours in 39 (26.35%). Out of the sample size, 20.27% of patients did not live in a traditionally structured family. This study used the Kiddie-SADS-Present and Lifetime Version interview, the Coddington Life Events Scales, and the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children questionnaires. Results: Patients with an extreme or severe index of anorexia nervosa are more likely to have multiple predisposing factors. In detail, four predisposing factors were found in 18.6% of patients with an extreme severity index, in 15.5% of those with a severe score, and in 10.3 and 10.6% of those with a moderate and mild score, respectively. Conclusions: Cumulative potential risk factors are more likely to be found in cases of severe course disease and patients hospitalised for anorexia. Prompt identification of predisposing factors and an effective plan of action are required to avoid a severe course disorder.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/nu17010021","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,12,25]],"date-time":"2024-12-25T19:27:46Z","timestamp":1735154866000},"page":"21","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":6,"title":["Predisposing Potential Risk Factors for Severe Anorexia Nervosa in Adolescents"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"17","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5947-2414","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Elena","family":"Bozzola","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Pediatric Unit, Bambino Ges\u00f9 Children\u2019s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Flavia","family":"Cirillo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Pediatric Unit, Bambino Ges\u00f9 Children\u2019s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Cristina","family":"Mascolo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Pediatric Unit, Bambino Ges\u00f9 Children\u2019s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Livia","family":"Antilici","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Pediatric Unit, Bambino Ges\u00f9 Children\u2019s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4881-2038","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Umberto","family":"Raucci","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Pediatric Emergency Unit, Bambino Ges\u00f9 Children\u2019s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Benedetta","family":"Guarnieri","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Pediatric Unit, Bambino Ges\u00f9 Children\u2019s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Annamaria","family":"Ventricelli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Pediatric Unit, Bambino Ges\u00f9 Children\u2019s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Elettra","family":"De Santis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Pediatric Unit, Bambino Ges\u00f9 Children\u2019s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5685-5468","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Giulia","family":"Spina","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Pediatric Unit, Bambino Ges\u00f9 Children\u2019s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Massimiliano","family":"Raponi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Sanitary Direction, Bambino Ges\u00f9 Children\u2019s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9120-0424","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alberto","family":"Villani","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Pediatric Unit, Bambino Ges\u00f9 Children\u2019s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6787-8198","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Maria Rosaria","family":"Marchili","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Pediatric Unit, Bambino Ges\u00f9 Children\u2019s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,12,25]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"65","DOI":"10.1186\/s40337-021-00419-3","article-title":"The impact of COVID-19 on adolescents with eating disorders: A cohort study","volume":"9","author":"Spettigue","year":"2021","journal-title":"J. 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