Early menarche and body dissatisfaction in individuals with eating disorders: A modest but significant association

Early pubertal timing, marked by earlier maturation than peers, is posited by the developmental readiness theory as a risk-factor for eating disorder pathology and body dissatisfaction in community samples. However, less is known about its association with symptom severity in individuals with an eating disorder. The present cross-sectional study including a clinical sample of 961 females, pre-registered on the Open Science Network, examined whether those reporting early menarche (≤11 years) had elevated levels of eating disorder pathology or body dissatisfaction. In regression analyses, the Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire and Body Shape Questionnaire scores were the dependent variables, and early menarche was the independent variable. Early menarche was modestly but positively associated with eating disorder pathology and body dissatisfaction, also when excluding individuals diagnosed with anorexia nervosa. The results from the present study extend previous research from non-clinical samples and support a developmental model in which early pubertal timing may be associated with the severity of eating disorder presentations. However, early menarche is likely one of multiple interacting factors, alongside sociocultural influences.