The comorbidity of depression and eating dysregulation processes in a diet-seeking obese population: A matter of gender specificity

✍ Scribed by Musante, Gerard J. ;Costanzo, Philip R. ;Friedman, Kelli E.

• Publisher: Wiley (John Wiley & Sons)
• Year: 1998
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 46 KB
• Volume: 23
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0276-3478
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1098-108x(199801)23:1<65::aid-eat8>3.0.co;2-#

✦ Synopsis

Objective:

To explore gender differences in depression vulnerability among an obese, treatment-seeking population and to discern those components of eating-related phenomena that discriminate the depression-comorbid obese from their noncomorbid counterparts.

Method:

This sample consisted of 1,184 self-admitted patients enrolled in a residential weight loss program between 1990 and 1995. subjects were administered several questionnaires including (a) the beck depression inventory, (b) 5-point scales of eating-related foci, and (c) 7-point scales of subject's confidence in their eating control under various circumstances. data were analyzed via analyses of variance (anovas) and stepwise regression.

Results:

Greater depression was accompanied by more disruptive, dysregulatory eating tendencies, and stronger inclination to engage in affectively and socially disrupted eating. regression results revealed gender-specific predictors of comorbid depression. for obese females, negative-emotion disrupted eating and binge-purge behaviors were prominent predictors of depression. for males, eating induced by experiences of social or physical inadequacy and fasting relating to eating behaviors were the depression-relevant variables.

Discussion:

These results are discussed in terms of their theoretical implications for gender-mediated models of obesity-depression comorbidity, and in terms of their clinical significance.