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Subjective and objective binge episodes in relation to eating disorder and depressive symptoms among middle-aged women

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Eating and Weight Disorders - Studies on Anorexia, Bulimia and Obesity Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

Evidence suggests loss of control over eating may be the driving component of binge eating, a transdiagnostic symptom of eating disorders and highly comorbid with depressive symptoms. Prior studies have evaluated eating disorder and depressive symptoms across types of binge episodes among adolescent and young adult samples, yet no studies have focused on middle-aged women who may be particularly vulnerable to both binge eating and depressive symptoms. The goal of this study was to compare eating disorder symptoms and depressive symptoms across different types of binge eating episodes among middle-aged women.

Methods

Women (N = 347), ages 40–63, completed an online survey about both objective (OBE) and subjective binge episodes (SBE), eating disorder symptoms, and depressive symptoms. Participants were categorized as OBEs only, SBEs only, both OBEs and SBEs, and no binge eating.

Results

Controlling for group differences, results showed middle-aged women who experienced SBEs only reported greater levels of anorexia nervosa attitudes and behaviors compared to all other groups, and greater dietary restraint compared to those who experienced only OBEs and those with no binge eating. Middle-aged women who experienced any type of binge eating reported greater levels of body image concerns and depressive symptoms compared to those who reported no binge eating.

Conclusions

Findings suggest that loss of control is more clinically relevant in terms of associations with eating disorder and depressive symptoms in middle-aged women.

Level of evidence

Level V based on descriptive studies.

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Availability of data and materials

The data sets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Code Availability

Analyses were performed using SPSS version 26.

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Funding

Funding for this study was provided by the UNC Department of Psychology and Neuroscience. This material is partially based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program under Grant No. DGE-1650116. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina, CB #3270 Davie Hall, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599, USA

    Katherine A. Thompson, Aubrey A. DeVinney, Casey N. Goy, Joanna Kuang & Anna M. Bardone-Cone

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  1. Katherine A. Thompson
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  2. Aubrey A. DeVinney
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  3. Casey N. Goy
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  4. Joanna Kuang
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  5. Anna M. Bardone-Cone
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Contributions

Authors ABC designed the study and wrote the protocol. KAT, AAD, CNG, and JK conducted literature searches, provided summaries of previous research studies, and wrote the first draft of the manuscript. All authors contributed to and have approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Anna M. Bardone-Cone.

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Conflict of interest

All of the authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Ethical statement

This research was conducted using human subjects and in accordance with The Code of Ethics of the World Medical Association (Declaration of Helsinki). This manuscript is in line with the Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals. The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and informed consent was obtained from all participants.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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This material is partially based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program under Grant No. DGE-1650116. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

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Thompson, K.A., DeVinney, A.A., Goy, C.N. et al. Subjective and objective binge episodes in relation to eating disorder and depressive symptoms among middle-aged women. Eat Weight Disord 27, 1687–1694 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-021-01305-2

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