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Table 1 Participant characteristics

From: A comparison of eating disorder symptomatology, psychological distress and psychosocial function between early, typical and later onset anorexia nervosa

Measure

EO-AN

M ± SD or N (%)

TO-AN

M ± SD or N (%)

LO-AN

M ± SD or N (%)

p-value

N = 58

N = 113

N = 78

Age

24.77 ± 7.94

24.96 ± 8.48

30.59 ± 10.06**

<.001

Age of onset

12.31 ± 2.35

16.19 ± 1.03**

24.01 ± 6.83**

<.001

Duration of illness

12.46 ± 8.94

8.08 ± 8.44*

6.39 ± 7.87**

<.001

Gender

   

0.832

 Male

3 (5.2%)

5 (4.4%)

5 (6.4%)

 

 Female

55 (94.8%)

108 (95.6%)

73 (93.6%)

 

Ethnicity

   

0.769

 Caucasian

48 (82.8%)

89 (78.8%)

57 (73.1%)

 

 Other European

3 (5.2%)

5 (4.4%)

6 (7.7%)

 

 East Asian

2 (3.4%)

4 (3.5%)

1 (1.3%)

 

 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander

1 (1.7%)

2 (1.8%)

2 (2.6%)

 

 Other/Unknown

4 (6.9%)

13 (11.5%)

12 (15.4%)

 

Education

   

0.177

 Secondary School

24 (41.4%)

35 (31.0%)

16 (20.5%)

 

 Tertiary commenced/completed

30 (51.7%)

68 (60.2%)

50 (64.1%)

 

 Vocational

1 (1.7%)

3 (2.7%)

2 (2.6%)

 

 Other/Unknown

3 (5.2%)

7 (6.2%)

10 (12.8%)

 

Employment

   

0.226

 Student

19 (32.8%

48 (42.5%)

18 (23.1%)

 

 Full-time employed

4 (6.9%)

7 (6.2%)

9 (11.5%)

 

 Part-time employed

11 (19.0%)

23 (20.4%)

13 (16.7%)

 

 Home duties

1 (1.7%)

3 (2.7%)

4 (5.1%)

 

 Unemployed

4 (6.9%)

9 (8.0%)

7 (9.0%)

 

 Unable to work because of illness

17 (29.3%)

17 (15.0%)

23 (29.5%)

 

 Unknown/missing

2 (3.4%)

6 (5.3%)

4 (5.1%)

 

Marital status

   

0.180

 Never married

46 (79.3%)

88 (77.9%)

53 (67.9%)

 

 Widowed

–

–

1 (1.3%)

 

 Divorced/separated

1 (1.7%)

4 (3.5%)

8 (10.3%)

 

 Married/defacto

8 (13.8%)

10 (8.8%)

11 (14.1%)

 

 Unknown/missing

3 (5.2%)

11 (9.7%)

5 (6.4%)

 
  1. *compared to EO-AN, p < .01; **compared to EO-AN, p < .001
  2. EO-AN early onset anorexia nervosa; TO-AN typical onset anorexia nervosa; LO-AN later onset anorexia nervosa