An examination of emotion-related facets of impulsivity in binge eating disorder

While research suggests a positive association between negative urgency (NU) and binge eating, the association between positive urgency (PU) and binge eating has been less well studied. Moreover, few studies have examined NU and PU in binge eating disorder (BED). The present study examined Whiteside and Lynam's (2001) five facets of impulsivity (including NU and PU) in individuals with BED and a control group with no history of an eating disorder (NED).

Community samples of adults with BED (n = 72) and NED (n = 79) completed self-report measures of impulsivity, eating disorder (ED) psychopathology, and symptoms of depression and anxiety.

The only facet of impulsivity that differed between the groups was NU, with the BED group reporting significantly higher scores on NU than the NED group. Although differences in PU initially emerged, these were no longer significant after controlling for NU. None of the impulsivity subscales predicted binge frequency, but four of the five subscales (NU, perseverance, premeditation, and PU) were significantly related to ED psychopathology.

The present findings suggest that those with BED exhibit greater NU than those without BED and that this may play role in BED symptomatology. Furthermore, the association between various impulsivity factors and ED psychopathology suggests that additional research is needed to understand these relationships in BED.