Clinical features of night eating syndrome among depressed patients

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency and clinical features of night eating syndrome (NES) in a sample of patients with depression.

Methods: The study sample consisted of 155 depressed outpatients. Socio-demographic Form, Beck Depression Inventory, Beck Anxiety Inventory, Maudsley Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Night Eating Questionnaire were utilised for data collection.

Results: Night eating syndrome was identified in 21.3% of the patients. Comparisons between NES and non-NES patients revealed significant differences in BMI, smoking status, Beck Depression Inventory, Beck Anxiety Inventory, rumination and PSQI sub-scores for sleep quality, latency, disturbances and daytime dysfunction. In our sample, the predictors of NES were BMI, smoking and the subject's score on the PSQI sleep disturbances subscale.

Conclusions: Night eating syndrome is negatively associated with sleep, severity of anxiety and depression. Our findings suggest that there is a complex relation between NES and depression, and it is recommended that depressed patients be evaluated for NES.

Keywords: body mass index; obesity; sleep; smoking.