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Weight and shape overconcern and emotional eating in binge eating disorder
1Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, CA 94305, USA.
Objective:
This study investigated two issues: the level of weight and shape concerns, and the self-reported tendency to eat in response to negative emotions among obese individuals with binge eating disorder (BED), eating disorder not otherwise specified (EDNOS), and no eating disorder (CONTROL).
Method:
On the basis of demographic and diagnostic surveys, 156 participants in a weight loss program were categorized on two dimensions, eating disorder category and weight (BED vs. EDNOS vs. CONTROL/low vs. high body mass index), yielding a 2 x 3 experimental design.
Results:
Individuals with BED reported a greater tendency to eat in response to negative mood states than CONTROL subjects and low weight EDNOS subjects, but not high weight EDNOS subjects. Weight did not influence self-reported weight and shape concerns. Individuals with BED expressed greater concern for weight and shape than non-eating disordered CONTROLs.
Discussion:
The findings suggest that overconcern with weight and shape be further investigated as a diagnostic feature of BED and that emotional eating is associated with BED but not obesity per se.