Food addiction in behavioral addictions: a network approach

The comorbidity of mental disorders is a well-documented phenomenon. However, the co-occurrence of and underlying mechanisms of food addiction (FA) and behavioral addictions (BAs) have been scarcely investigated. Therefore, the aims of this study were as follows: (a) to perform a network analysis to explore the interrelationships between the clinical profile of patients seeking treatment for gaming disorder, compulsive buying-shopping disorder (CBSD), compulsive sexual behavior disorder, and the comorbid presence of multiple BAs and FA; (b) to identify the core symptoms (central nodes) and correlates contributing to the clinical profile of patients with this comorbidity; and (c) to determine empirically derived clusters of nodes depending on the presence or absence of FA.

A sample of 209 participants (64.6% men and 35.4% women) was assessed using a semi-structured clinical interview to diagnose BAs, along with self-reported psychometric assessments of FA, general psychopathology, personality traits, emotion regulation, and impulsivity. Separate networks were estimated according to the presence or absence of FA.

The nodes with the highest centrality indices among patients with FA + were self-directedness, followed by global psychopathological distress, age, and harm avoidance. Self-directedness was also identified as the most relevant bridging node among patients with FA+. The number of communities (clusters of nodes) and their composition varied depending on the presence of comorbid FA.

The profile observed in patients with both BAs and FA appears more complex than that observed in those without FA, and this increased complexity may influence the course of the disorders as well as treatment outcomes.