Binge eating disorder and the proposed DSM-IV criteria: psychometric analysis of the Questionnaire of Eating and Weight Patterns

Abstract

Proposed binge eating disorder (BED) diagnostic criteria were investigated to provide necessary psychometric characteristics and explore their utility in assessment. One hundred four subjects (52 self-referred bingers, 52 comparison subjects) completed an initial administration of the Questionnaire of Eating and Weight Patterns (QEWP). The results supported the ability of the two core BED criteria (i.e., episodic overeating, loss of control) to discriminate between clinical and nonclinical binge eaters. Thirty-nine of the self-referred and 40 of the comparison subjects completed a second QEWP administration 3 weeks later. Results indicated that the BED diagnosis was moderately stable over the 3-week interval (kappa = .58, combined sample). Using self-monitoring data completed by the self-referred subjects, predictive efficiency analyses indicated that the QEWP was able to identify both high and low probability binge eaters. Implications of the findings for the definition, assessment, and utility of the BED diagnosis are discussed.