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Cited by 235Eating Disorders and BehaviorsNutrition, Health and Food BehaviorObesity, Physical Activity, Diet

Loss of Control Is Central to Psychological Disturbance Associated With Binge Eating Disorder

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Colles, Susan L., Dixon, John B., O'Brien, Paul E.·2008·Obesity
DOI 10.1038/oby.2007.99
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Abstract

Objective: Binge eating disorder (BED) is positively associated with obesity and psychological distress, yet the behavioral features of BED that drive these associations are largely unexplored. The primary aim of this study was to investigate which core behavioral features of binge eating are most strongly related to psychological disturbance. Methods and Procedures: A cross‐sectional study involved 180 bariatric surgery candidates, 93 members of a non‐surgical weight loss support group, and 158 general community respondents (81 men/350 women, mean age 45.8 ± 13.3, mean BMI 34.8 ± 10.8, BMI range 17.7–66.7). Validated questionnaires assessed BED and binge eating, symptoms of depression, appearance dissatisfaction (AD), quality of life (QoL) and eating‐related behaviors. Features of binge eating were confirmed by interview. BMI was determined by clinical assessment and self‐report. Results: The loss of control (LOC) over eating, that is, being unable to stop eating or control what or how much was consumed was most closely related to psychological markers of distress common in BED. In particular, those who experienced severe emotional disturbance due to feelings of LOC reported higher symptoms of depression (P < 0.001), AD (P = 0.009), and poorer mental health–related QoL (P = 0.027). Discussion: Persons who report subjective binge episodes or do not meet BED frequency criteria for objective binge episodes may still be at elevated risk of psychological disturbance and benefit from clinical intervention. Feelings of LOC could drive binge eaters to seek bariatric surgery in an attempt to gain control over body weight and psychologically disturbing eating behavior.

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  • Studies to date indicate that individuals with subjective binge eating report comparable distress, psychological disturbance, and reduction in quality of life as those whose binge eating is defined objectively.

    “Studies to date 69-72 indicate that individuals with subjective binge eating report comparable distress, psychological disturbance, and reduction in quality of life as those whose binge eating is defined objectively.”

    From An organization‐ and category‐level comparison of diagnostic requirements for mental disorders in <scp>ICD</scp> ‐11 and <scp>DSM</scp> ‐5 (2021) · cites this paper as [71]

    In “Characteristics of the binge eating subgroups” (page unavailable), depression scores did not differ significantly between the subjective-LOC and full-BED groups, supporting part of the comparison. But appearance-related distress was higher in the full-BED group, and mental health-related quality of life did not differ between the subjective-LOC and non-binge-eating groups. The paper therefore does not support comparable disturbance and quality-of-life reduction across the two binge-eating groups. (LLM, conf=0.90)

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3 of the 43 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.

Research works printed but not linked: 12

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  11. Hodge A, Patterson AJ, Brown WJ, Ireland P, Giles G. Erratum: The Anti Cancer Council of Victoria FFQ: relative validity of nutrient intakes compared with weighed food records in young to middle-aged women in a study of iron supplementation. Aust N Z J Public Health 2003;27:468.
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Authors
Colles, S. L., Dixon, J. B., & O'Brien, P. E.
Affiliations
The Alfred Hospital (AU)
Corresponding author
Colles, Susan L.
ORCID
Dixon, John B.
Venue
Obesity
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2008-03
Volume
16
Issue
3
Pages
608-614
ISSN
  • 1930-7381 (ISSN-L)
  • 1930-739X
DOI
10.1038/oby.2007.99
OpenAlex
W2043351305
Cited by
235
References
43
Citations by year
2026: 12 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 12 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 24 · 2020: 13 · 2019: 9 · 2018: 17 · 2017: 15 · 2016: 15 · 2015: 21 · 2014: 16 · 2013: 13 · 2012: 6
FWCI
13.03
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor (vor, 1650 d)
Locations
  • Obesity (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Eating Disorders and Behaviors
  • Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Nutrition, Health and Food Behavior
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet
Keywords
binge eating disorder, loss of control over eating, psychological distress, depression, appearance dissatisfaction, quality of life, bariatric surgery candidates, dietary habits
MeSH terms
Adaptation, Psychological, Adult, Aged, Appetite Regulation, Body Image, Cross-Sectional Studies, Depression, Diet, Reducing, Feeding Behavior, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Obesity, Quality of Life, Surveys and Questionnaires, Self-Help Groups, Stress, Psychological, Body Mass Index, Bariatric Surgery, Bulimia Nervosa

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