Latent profile analysis of a cohort of patients with eating disorders not otherwise specified

Abstract

Objective: This article examined possible ways of classifying eating disorders not otherwise specified (EDNOS) using latent profile analysis (LPA).

Method: Of 687 patients being seen for an evaluation for an eating disorder, 284 were classified as having anorexia nervosa (AN) or bulimia nervosa (BN). LPA was performed on the remaining 403 cases (EDNOS).

Results: Five clusters were identified that characterized individuals who appeared to be: (1) subsyndromal restrictor AN patients that denied a great deal of eating disorder (ED) psychopathology; (2) subsyndromal ED patients, some but not all of whom were low weight; (3) subsyndromal BN with higher rates of vomiting than binge-eating; (4) primarily overweight individuals with low levels of ED pathology; or (5) overweight patients who most resembled binge eating disorder (BED).

Conclusion: Most EDNOS cases resembled AN, BN, or BED cases and can be conceptualized several ways, one of which is to see them as existing on a continuum with the DSM-IV ED.