Subtyping patients with binge-eating disorder by dietary restraint and negative affect: Characteristics and treatment...

This study examined patients with binge-eating disorder (BED) subtyped by dietary restraint (DR) and the negative affect (NA) dimension of depression, anxiety, hostility, and self-esteem, comparing clinical features and outcome of evidence-based psychological treatments. It was hypothesized that individuals with DR and high NA (DR-HNA) would have lower functioning and poorer immediate and long-term BED treatment outcomes compared to those with DR and low NA (DR-LNA).

Cluster analysis was conducted (n = 159) as a secondary analysis of data from a randomized group cognitive-behavioral therapy and interpersonal psychotherapy trial of women and men with BED.

At pretreatment, participants with DR-HNA were higher in eating disorder and general psychopathology, emotional eating, and poor social adjustment. At post-treatment, differences in binge days between cluster groups were small and statistically nonsignificant, and differences in rates of binge-eating abstinence were only marginally significant. However, by 1-year follow-up, patients with DR-HNA had a greater increase in binge days, less abstinence from binge eating, a higher risk for relapse, and were significantly less likely to be in BED remission than those with DR-LNA.

DR-HNA served as a predictor of poorer maintenance of BED therapeutic improvement. Future directions to better sustain outcomes among patients with DR-HNA include developing a brief measure to assess for the full construct of NA prior to and throughout treatment, enhancing BED interventions by focusing more on NA, and augmenting treatment dose. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).