Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2013 Apr;46(3):226-32.
doi: 10.1002/eat.22115. Epub 2013 Feb 6.

What constitutes clinically significant binge eating? Association between binge features and clinical validators in college-age women

Anna Vannucci  1 , Kelly R Theim, Andrea E Kass, Mickey Trockel, Brooke Genkin, Marianne Rizk, Hannah Weisman, Jakki O Bailey, Meghan M Sinton, Vandana Aspen, Denise E Wilfley, C Barr Taylor
Affiliations

What constitutes clinically significant binge eating? Association between binge features and clinical validators in college-age women

Anna Vannucci et al. Int J Eat Disord. 2013 Apr.

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the association between binge features and clinical validators.

Method: The Eating Disorder Examination assessed binge features in a sample of 549 college-age women: loss of control (LOC) presence, binge frequency, binge size, indicators of impaired control, and LOC severity. Clinical validators were self-reported clinical impairment and current psychiatric comorbidity, as determined via a semistructured interview.

Results: Compared with women without LOC, those with LOC had significantly greater odds of reporting clinical impairment and comorbidity (ps < 0.001). Among women with LOC (n = 252), the indicators of impaired control and LOC severity, but not binge size or frequency, were associated with greater odds of reporting clinical impairment and/or comorbidity (ps < 0.05). DICUSSION: Findings confirm that the presence of LOC may be the hallmark feature of binge eating. Further, dimensional ratings about the LOC experience--and possibly the indicators of impaired control--may improve reliable identification of clinically significant binge eating.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. American Psychiatric Association (APA) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. American Psychiatric Association; Washington, D.C.: 2000.
    1. American Psychiatric Association (APA) Fifth edition Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) Development. American Psychiatric Association; Washington, DC: 2012.
    1. Wolfe BE, Wood Baker C, Smith AT, Kelly-Weeder S. Validity and utility of the current definition of binge eating. Int J Eat Disord. 2009;42:674–686. - PubMed
    1. Latner J, Hildebrandt T, Rosewall JK, Chisholm AM, Hayashi K. Loss of control reflects eating disturbances and general psychopathology. Behav Res Ther. 2007;45:2203–2211. - PubMed
    1. Mond JM, Latner J, Hay PH, Owen C, Rodgers B. Objective and subjective bulimic episodes in the classification of bulimic-type eating disorders: Another nail in the coffin of a problematic distinction. Behav Res Ther. 2010;45:661–669. - PubMed

Publication types