Date of Award

Summer 8-23-2025

Document Type

Doctoral Research Paper

Degree Name

Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology

Organizational Unit

Graduate School of Professional Psychology

First Advisor

Carrie Landin

Second Advisor

Alyssa Oland

Third Advisor

Joy Goldberg

Copyright Statement / License for Reuse

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Keywords

Pediatric onset multiple sclerosis, Eating disorders, Autoimmune

Abstract

Multiple Sclerosis (MS), a chronic, demyelinating, autoimmune disease that causes an array of physical and cognitive symptomatology, is commonly diagnosed in adulthood. Pediatric Onset Multiple Sclerosis (POMS) is characterized by diagnosis of the disease before age 18 and accounts for about 5% of MS cases. While there is a growing body of literature examining the impact of adult-onset multiple sclerosis on psychosocial functioning, research specifically addressing POMS remains limited. Moreover, there is a notable gap in the literature regarding the risk of eating disorders among individuals with POMS. This paper will explore a constellation of potential risk factors that may contribute to the development of eating disorders (ED) among individuals with POMS. It will examine how the interaction of biological factors (e.g., age, gender, medication side effects), psychological factors (e.g., trauma history, psychiatric comorbidities, and presence of maladaptive cognitions), and social factors (e.g., family functioning, peer isolation, and cultural identities) may cumulatively elevate an individual’s vulnerability to disordered eating. Drawing from both The Biopsychosocial Model and The Rainbow Model, a specific social determinants of health model, this paper will then introduce a multifactorial visual model for understanding relative risk levels for ED development among POMS patients with the aim of increasing clinician’s awareness of the potential eating related comorbidities among this unique population. Ultimately, this model will serve as an aid to clinicians in screening for additional feeding concerns and determining supplemental treatment approaches aimed at promoting adaptive individual psychological and behavioral functioning and improving overall quality of life.

Copyright Date

6-26-2025

Publication Statement

Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.

Rights Holder

Anna L. Smith

Provenance

Received from author

File Format

application/pdf

Language

English (eng)

Extent

42 pgs

File Size

512 KB

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