Objective: This study investigated two issues: the level of weight and shape concerns, and the self-reported tendency to eat in response to negative emotions among obese individuals with binge eating disorder (BED), eating disorder not otherwise specified (EDNOS), and no eating disorder (CONTROL). Method: On the basis of demographic and diagnostic surveys, 156 participants in a weight loss program were categorized on two dimensions, eating disorder category and weight (BED vs. EDNOS vs. CONTROL/ low vs. high body mass index), yielding a 2 x 3 experimental design. Results: Individuals with BED reported a greater tendency to eat in response to negative mood states than CONTROL subjects and low weight EDNOS subjects, but not high weight EDNOS subjects. Weight did not influence self-reported weight and shape concerns. Individuals with BED expressed greater concern for weight and shape than non-eating disordered CONTROLS. Discussion: The findings suggest that overconcern with weight and shape be further investigated as a diagnostic feature of BED and that emotional eating is associated with BED but not obesity per se. 0 1996 by john Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Binge eating disorder (BED) is a newly defined subtype of eating disorder not otherwise specified (EDNOS) within the Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, 4th ed. (DSM-IV; American Psychiatric Association, 1994). Unlike bulimia nervosa, for which individuals who meet diagnostic criteria are typically of normal weight (Mitchell, Pyle, Eckert, Hatsukami, & Soll, 1990), most individuals who binge eat but do not purge are either overweight or obese (Marcus, 1993). This has led researchers to compare overweight binge eaters and nonbinge eaters on a number of dimensions. (For a comprehensive overview of research comparisons of obese binge eaters and the nonbinge eating