A Study on the Possible Mediating Role of Covid-19 Pandemic in Psychological Distress and Disordered Eating Behaviours Among Young Adults

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic-associated social restrictions brought various challenges among the youth, including mental health issues and disordered eating patterns. It, therefore, becomes imperative for clinicians to know the extent and causative factors of the problem. Objectives To explore the prevalence and possible mediation role of the COVID-19 pandemic in causing mental distress and disordered eating behaviors among Indian adults between 18–35 years old. Methods This was a month-long, community-based, cross-sectional study conducted via an online questionnaire. The Coronavirus Impact Scale (CIS), Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale (DASS-21), SCOFF questionnaire for eating disorders, and Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire-Revised 18-item version (TFEQ-18) were used. In addition, the mediation effects of the psychosocial impact of the pandemic, psychological distress, and disordered eating behaviors, were tested using PROCESS v4.0 by Andrew Hayes. Results 49% of the subjects (n = 101) reported stress and discord in their families due to the pandemic. 10% of the respondents reported features suggestive of moderate depression and anxiety, while almost 10% of the participants suffered from a likely eating disorder, requiring further clinical evaluation. A positive association was observed between psychosocial stress due to COVID-19 and depression (r = 0.366, p < 0.001), anxiety (r = 0.402, p < 0.001) and stress (r = 0.416, p < 0.001). Also, on mediation analysis, the pandemic-induced psychological distress was found to significantly affect disordered eating patterns (b = 0.104, CI = 0.09, 2.17). Conclusions The COVID-19 pandemic has caused or aggravated significant psychological distress and, in turn, has indirectly mediated disordered eating patterns among the younger population, who are already at higher risk for developing mental disorders.