An examination of state and trait urgency in individuals with binge-eating disorder

OBJECTIVE

Negative urgency (i.e., acting rashly when experiencing negative affect; NU), is a theorised maintenance factor in binge-eating type eating disorders. This study examined the association between trait NU and eating disorder severity, momentary changes in state NU surrounding episodes of binge eating, and the momentary mechanistic link between affect, rash action, and binge-eating risk.

METHODS

Participants were 112 individuals with binge-eating disorder (BED). Baseline measures included the UPPS-P Impulsive Behaviour Scale to assess trait NU and the Eating Disorders Examination to assess binge-eating frequency and global eating disorder severity. Ecological momentary assessment captured real-time data on binge eating, negative affect, and state NU.

RESULTS

Multiple regression analysis revealed a strong association between trait NU and eating disorder severity. Generalised estimating equations showed that state NU increased before and decreased after binge-eating episodes, and that this pattern was not moderated by trait-level NU. Finally, a multilevel structural equation model indicated that increases in rash action mediated the momentary relationship between states of high negative affect and episodes of binge eating.

CONCLUSION

These findings underscore the importance of both trait and state NU in binge-eating type eating disorders, and suggest NU as a potential key target for intervention.

Effects of Therapeutic Alliance in Interpersonal Psychotherapy Among Adolescent Girls With Loss-of-Control Eating

OBJECTIVE

Interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) has been proposed for prevention of excess weight gain among adolescents with loss-of-control (LOC) eating. Mixed findings from a trial testing this conjecture warrant elucidation of potential outcome predictors. The therapeutic alliance (adolescent-facilitator emotional bond and task collaboration) may be important for IPT but has received little attention in weight-related interventions. This study evaluated associations of adolescent-reported therapeutic alliance during IPT with weight- and eating-related outcomes.

METHODS

Secondary analyses of a randomized controlled trial were conducted to compare group IPT to health education (HE) for preventing excess weight gain among 113 girls (ages 12-17) with body mass index (BMI) at the 75th to 97th percentile and LOC eating. BMI and LOC eating were measured at baseline, 12 weeks (postintervention), and 1 year. Multilevel modeling was used to test associations between change in therapeutic alliance (from session 1 to session 12) and changes in weight- and eating-related outcomes (from postintervention to 1 year). Analyses were controlled for therapeutic alliance after session 1 and for baseline and postintervention outcome values; group assignment (IPT vs. HE) was a moderator.

RESULTS

Increases in emotional bond were associated with decreased weight and with greater decreases in number of LOC eating episodes at 1 year in the IPT group (p<0.05) and with weight gain in the HE group (p<0.05). Greater task collaboration was related to greater weight gain at 1-year follow-up, regardless of group assignment (p<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The association of therapeutic alliance during IPT with weight and LOC eating outcomes among adolescent girls merits further investigation.

Momentary skills use predicts decreased binge eating and purging early in day treatment: An ecological momentary assessment study

OBJECTIVE

Emerging research indicates that skills acquisition may be important to behavior change in cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) for eating disorders. This study investigated whether skills use assessed in real time during the initial 4 weeks of CBT-based day treatment was associated with momentary eating disorder behavior change and rapid response to treatment.

METHODS

Participants with DSM-5 bulimia nervosa or purging disorder (N = 58) completed ecological momentary assessments (EMA) several times daily for the first 28 days of treatment. EMA assessed skills use, the occurrence of binge eating and/or purging, and state negative affect. Rapid response was defined as abstinence from binge eating and/or purging in the first 4 weeks of treatment.

RESULTS

Greater real-time skills use overall, and use of "planning ahead," "distraction," "social support," and "mechanical eating" skills in particular, were associated with a lower likelihood of engaging in binge eating or purging during the same period. After controlling for baseline group differences in overall difficulties with emotion regulation, rapid and non-rapid responders did not differ in overall skills use, or skills use at times of higher negative affect, during the EMA period.

DISCUSSION

Momentary use of skills appears to play an important role in preventing binge eating and purging, and certain skills appear to be particularly helpful. These findings contribute to the literature elucidating the processes by which CBT treatments for eating disorders work by providing empirical evidence that skills use helps to prevent binge eating and purging behaviors.

PUBLIC SIGNIFICANCE

Individuals with eating disorders learn new skills during treatment to help them improve their symptoms. This study shows that for people with eating disorders, using skills helps prevent eating disorder behaviors in the moment. Certain skills may be particularly helpful, including planning ahead, distracting activities, support from others, and focusing on eating meals and snacks regardless of how one is feeling. These findings help us better understand how treatments work.

Changes in evening-shifted loss of control eating severity following treatment for binge-eating disorder

BACKGROUND

Loss of control eating is more likely to occur in the evening and is uniquely associated with distress. No studies have examined the effect of treatment on within-day timing of loss of control eating severity. We examined whether time of day differentially predicted loss of control eating severity at baseline (i.e. pretreatment), end-of-treatment, and 6-month follow-up for individuals with binge-eating disorder (BED), hypothesizing that loss of control eating severity would increase throughout the day pretreatment and that this pattern would be less pronounced following treatment. We explored differential treatment effects of cognitive-behavioral guided self-help (CBTgsh) and Integrative Cognitive-Affective Therapy (ICAT).

METHODS

Individuals with BED (N = 112) were randomized to receive CBTgsh or ICAT and completed a 1-week ecological momentary assessment protocol at baseline, end-of-treatment, and 6-month follow-up to assess loss of control eating severity. We used multilevel models to assess within-day slope trajectories of loss of control eating severity across assessment periods and treatment type.

RESULTS

Within-day increases in loss of control eating severity were reduced at end-of-treatment and 6-month follow-up relative to baseline. Evening acceleration of loss of control eating severity was greater at 6-month follow-up relative to end-of-treatment. Within-day increases in loss of control severity did not differ between treatments at end-of-treatment; however, evening loss of control severity intensified for individuals who received CBTgsh relative to those who received ICAT at 6-month follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings suggest that treatment reduces evening-shifted loss of control eating severity, and that this effect may be more durable following ICAT relative to CBTgsh.

The Impact of Medicaid Expansion Under the Affordable Care Act on the Gap Between American Indians and Whites in Breast Cancer Management and Prognosis

BACKGROUND

Breast cancer (BC) death rates in the USA have not significantly declined for American Indians (AIs) in comparison to Whites. Our objective was to determine whether Medicaid Expansion as part of the Affordable Care Act led to improved BC outcomes for AIs relative to Whites.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Using the National Cancer Database, we conducted a retrospective cohort study. Included were BC patients who were AI and White; 40 to 64 years of age; diagnosed in 2009 to 2016; lived in states that expanded Medicaid in January 2014, and states that did not expand Medicaid. Our outcomes were stage at diagnosis, insurance status, timely treatment, and 3-year mortality.

RESULTS

There were 359,484 newly diagnosed BC patients, 99.49% White, 0.51% AI. Uninsured rates declined more in the expansion states than in the nonexpansion states (OR = 0.44, 95% CI: 0.15-0.97, P < 0.001). Lower rates of Stage I BC diagnosis was found in AIs compared to Whites (46.58% vs. 55.33%, P < .001); these differential rates did not change after Medicaid expansion. Rates of definitive treatment initiation within 30 days of diagnosis declined after Medicaid expansion (P < .001); there was a smaller decline in the expansion states (OR 1.118, 95% CI: 1.09, 1.15, P < .001). Three year mortality was not different between expansion and nonexpansion states post Medicaid expansion.

CONCLUSIONS

In newly diagnosed BCs, uninsured rates declined more in the states that expanded Medicaid in January 2014. Timely treatment post Medicaid expansion declined less in states that expanded Medicaid. There was no differential benefit of Medicaid expansion in the 2 races.

Past-Year Suicidal Ideation, Plans, and Attempts by Food Security Level in a Nationally Representative Sample of U.S. Adults

OBJECTIVE

The Interpersonal Theory of Suicide posits that suicidal behavior results from thwarted belongingness, perceived burdensomeness, and capability for suicide. Considering that food insecurity (FI) may be linked to these constructs to differing extents based on severity of FI, this study examined cross-sectional associations between levels of FI and suicidal ideation, plans, and attempts in a nationally representative sample of adults in the United States.

METHODS

Data for this study were collected in 2001-2003 from 5,552 participants in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (Mage=44.8 ± 0.5 years; 53.8% female). Prevalence ratios (PRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were generated using modified Poisson regression to examine past-year ideation, plans, and attempts with intent of lethality by past-year FI level (assessed with a modified version of the Short Form U.S. Household Food Security Scale).

RESULTS

After controlling for sociodemographic covariates, low food security was significantly associated with elevated prevalence of suicidal ideation, plans, and attempts (ideation: PR = 2.21, 95% CI 1.32-3.70; plans: PR = 5.42, 95% CI 2.71-10.83; attempts: PR = 5.35, 95% CI 2.38-12.03). Very low food security (i.e., more severe FI) exhibited stronger associations yet with suicidal ideation, plans, and attempts (ideation: PR = 6.99, 95% CI 4.10-11.92; plans: PR = 17.21, 95% CI 8.41-35.24; attempts: PR = 14.72, 95% CI 4.96-43.69).

CONCLUSIONS

Findings indicative of a dose-response relationship between FI and suicidal ideation, plans, and attempts emphasize the need to increase reach of food assistance programs, increase availability of mental health services in food-insecure populations, and routinely screen for FI in mental health practice.

Evaluating dietary restriction as a maintaining factor in binge-eating disorder

OBJECTIVE

Prominent theories of binge-eating (BE) maintenance highlight dietary restriction as a key precipitant of BE episodes. Consequently, treatment approaches for eating disorders (including binge-eating disorder; BED) seek to reduce dietary restriction in order to improve BE symptoms. The present study tested the hypothesis that dietary restriction promotes BE among 112 individuals with BED.

METHODS

Participants completed a 7-day ecological momentary assessment (EMA) protocol before and after completing 17 weeks of either Integrative Cognitive-Affective Therapy or guided self-help cognitive behavioral therapy. Analyses examined whether dietary restriction on 1 day of the baseline EMA protocol predicted risk for BE later that same day, and on the following day. Changes in dietary restriction over the course of treatment were also evaluated as a predictor of change in BE from pre-treatment to post-treatment. Baseline dietary restraint was examined as a moderator of the above associations.

RESULTS

Dietary restriction did not predict BE later the same day, and changes in restriction were not related to changes in BE across treatment, regardless of baseline dietary restraint levels. Restriction on 1 day did predict increased BE risk on the following day for individuals with higher levels of dietary restraint, but not those with lower levels.

DISCUSSION

These findings challenge the assumption that dietary restriction maintains BE among all individuals with BED. Rather, results suggest that dietary restriction may be largely unrelated to BE maintenance in this population, and that reducing dietary restriction generally does not have the intended effect on BE frequency.

Daily self-weighing compared with an active control causes greater negative affective lability in emerging adult women: A randomized trial

Age-related weight gain prevention may reduce population overweight/obesity. Emerging adulthood is a crucial time to act, as rate of gain accelerates and health habits develop. Evidence supports self-weighing (SW) for preventing weight gain; however, how SW impacts psychological states and behaviors in vulnerable groups is unclear. This study assessed daily SW effects on affective lability, stress, weight-related stress, body satisfaction, and weight-control behaviors. Sixty-nine university females (aged 18-22) were randomized to daily SW or temperature-taking (TT) control. Over 2 weeks, participants completed five daily ecological momentary assessments with their intervention behavior. A graph of their data with a trendline was emailed daily, with no other intervention components. Multilevel mixed models with random effect for day assessed variability in positive/negative affect. Generalized linear mixed models assessed outcomes pre- and post-SW or TT and generalized estimating equations assessed weight-control behaviors. Negative affective lability was significantly greater for SW versus TT. While general stress did not differ between groups, weight-related stress was significantly higher and body satisfaction was significantly lower post-behavior for SW but not TT. Groups did not significantly differ in the number or probability of weight-control behaviors. Caution is advised when recommending self-weighing to prevent weight gain for emerging adults.

Causal discovery analysis: A promising tool in advancing precision medicine for eating disorders

OBJECTIVE

Precision medicine (i.e., individually tailored treatments) represents an optimal goal for treating complex psychiatric disorders, including eating disorders. Within the eating disorders field, most treatment development efforts have been limited in their ability to identify individual-level models of eating disorder psychopathology and to develop and apply an individually tailored treatment for a given individual's personalized model of psychopathology. In addition, research is still needed to identify causal relationships within a given individual's model of eating disorder psychopathology. Addressing this limitation of the current state of precision medicine-related research in the field will allow us to progress toward advancing research and practice for eating disorders treatment.

METHOD

We present a novel set of analytic tools, causal discovery analysis (CDA) methods, which can facilitate increasingly fine-grained, person-specific models of causal relations among cognitive, behavioral, and affective symptoms.

RESULTS

CDA can advance the identification of an individual's causal model that maintains that individuals' eating disorder psychopathology.

DISCUSSION

In the current article, we (1) introduce CDA methods as a set of promising analytic tools for developing precision medicine methods for eating disorders including the potential strengths and weaknesses of CDA, (2) provide recommendations for future studies utilizing this approach, and (3) outline the potential clinical implications of using CDA to generate personalized models of eating disorder psychopathology.

PUBLIC SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT

CDA provides a novel statistical approach for identifying causal relationships among variables of interest for a given individual. Person-specific causal models may offer a promising approach to individualized treatment planning and inform future personalized treatment development efforts for eating disorders.

Associations Between Changes in Activity and Dietary Behaviors after Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery

INTRODUCTION

Patients who undergo metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS) are advised to make healthy activity and dietary changes. While previous research has examined post-surgical changes in activity and dietary behaviors separately, no study has assessed whether changes in these behaviors are beneficially associated with each other. We evaluated whether post-surgical improvements in activity behaviors related to favorable changes in dietary behaviors overall and by surgery type (Roux-en-Y gastric bypass [RYGB], sleeve gastrectomy [SG]).

METHODS

At pre-surgery and 6- and 12-months post-surgery, participants (N = 97; 67 RYGB/30 SG) wore an accelerometer for 7 days and completed 24-h dietary assessments on 3 days. General linear models assessed associations between pre- to post-surgical changes in activity (moderate-to-vigorous physical intensity activity [MVPA], sedentary time [ST]) and dietary (total energy intake [EI; kcal/day], dietary quality [healthy eating index/HEI scores]) behaviors, with surgery type as a moderator.

RESULTS

Participants on average: demonstrated small, non-significant post-surgical changes in MVPA and ST minutes/day (ps > .05); and reported significant post-surgical decreases in EI (p < .001), but no changes in HEI scores (ps > .25). Greater 12-month post-surgical increases in MVPA were significantly associated with greater decreases in EI, but only for RYGB participants (p < .001).

DISCUSSION

Participants reported large decreases in EI, but made minimal changes in other behaviors after MBS. Results suggest greater increases in MVPA could assist with achieving greater decreases in EI, although this benefit appears to be limited to RYGB patients. Additional research is needed to confirm these findings and determine whether activity-dietary behavior associations differ beyond the immediate post-surgical year.

Managing the common problem of co-occurring mental health conditions in eating disorders: A commentary on Wade et al. (2023)

It is well known that individuals with an eating disorder frequently experience a wide range of co-occurring mental health conditions which significantly impact eating disorders and quality of life. Clinicians attempt a variety of strategies to deal with the behavioral complexity of such co-occurrence, but little is known about empirically based interventions to treat this common comorbidity. The approach articulated by Wade and Colleagues highlights a potentially valuable strategy for empirically examining a range of treatment strategies to target the full spectrum of eating disorder psychopathology experienced by most patients with eating disorders.

Ecological momentary assessment of mood regulation eating expectancies in eating disorders: Convergent and predictive validity

OBJECTIVE

Eating expectancies (EE) are the anticipation of various benefits or detriments from eating, with mood regulation being a salient type of EE associated with eating disorders. This study examined the convergent and predictive validity of ecological momentary assessment (EMA) mood regulation EE items, including mood improvement and mood worsening EE.

METHODS

Thirty women with binge-eating pathology completed a 14-day EMA protocol, which included measures of mood regulation EE, affect, appetite, appearance- and body-related factors and disordered-eating behaviours.

RESULTS

Greater within-subjects hunger and lower within-subjects positive affect and fullness were related to elevated mood improvement EE. Higher within-subjects appearance concerns, fullness, body social comparisons and thinness pressure were associated with higher mood worsening EE. Greater within-subjects mood worsening EE predicted greater likelihood of vomiting at the subsequent time point, but there were no within-subjects associations between mood improvement EE and behaviours. Yet, greater between-subjects mood worsening EE were associated with more restraint/restriction and binge eating, and greater between-subjects mood improvement EE were associated with more binge eating.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings support the convergent validity of EMA mood regulation EE items. There was limited predictive validity evidence, suggesting complexities in how mood regulation EE predict behaviour in daily life.

Time-of-day and day-of-week patterns of binge eating and relevant psychological vulnerabilities in binge-eating disorder

OBJECTIVE

The present study sought to characterize the temporal patterns of binge eating and theorized maintenance factors among individuals with binge-eating disorder (BED).

METHOD

Ecological momentary assessment of 112 individuals and mixed-effects models were used to characterize the within- and between-day temporal patterns of eating behaviors (binge eating, loss of control only eating, and overeating only), positive and negative affect, emotion regulation difficulty, and food craving.

RESULTS

Risk for binge eating and overeating only was highest around 5:30 p.m., with additional binge-eating peaks around 12:30 and 11:00 p.m. In contrast, loss of control eating without overeating was more likely to occur before 2:00 p.m. Risk for binge eating, loss of control only eating, and overeating only did not vary across days in the week. There was no consistent pattern of change in negative affect throughout the day, but it decreased slightly on the weekend. Positive affect showed a decrease in the evenings and a smaller decrease on the weekend. The within-day patterns of food craving, and to some extent emotion regulation difficulty, resembled the pattern of binge eating, with peaks around meal times and at the end of the night.

DISCUSSION

Individuals with BED appear most susceptible to binge-eating around dinner time, with heightened risk also observed around lunch time and late evening, though the effects were generally small. These patterns appear to most strongly mimic fluctuations in craving and emotion dysregulation, although future research is needed to test the temporal relationships between these experiences directly.

PUBLIC SIGNIFICANCE

It is unknown which times of the day and days of the week individuals with binge-eating disorder are most at risk for binge eating. By assessing binge-eating behaviors in the natural environment across the week, we found that individuals are most likely to binge in the evening, which corresponds to the times when they experience the strongest food craving and difficulty with regulating emotions.

Examining the role of craving in affect regulation models of binge eating: Evidence from an ecological momentary assessment study

Affect regulation models hypothesize that aversive affective states drive binge-eating behavior, which serves to regulate unpleasant emotions. Research using ecological momentary assessment (EMA) demonstrates that increases in guilt most strongly predict subsequent binge-eating episodes, raising the question: why would individuals with binge-eating pathology engage in a binge-eating episode when they feel guilty? Food craving is a robust predictor of binge eating and is commonly associated with subsequent feelings of guilt. The current study used EMA to test the hypothesis that food craving may promote increased feelings of guilt, which then predict an increased risk of binge eating within a sample of 109 individuals with binge-eating disorder. Multilevel mediation models indicated that increased momentary craving at Time 1 directly predicted a greater likelihood of binge eating at Time 2, and craving also indirectly predicted binge eating at Time 2 through momentary increases in guilt at Time 2. In other words, experiencing food craving at one time point was related to an increased likelihood of binge eating at the next time point, and a portion of this influence was attributable to increasing feelings of guilt. These results challenge simple affect regulation models of binge eating, suggesting that food-related anticipatory reward processes (i.e., craving) may be the primary driver of binge-eating risk and account for the increases in guilt commonly observed prior to binge-eating episodes. Although experimental studies are needed to confirm this possibility, these results suggest the importance of addressing food cravings within interventions for binge-eating disorder. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Examining the momentary relationships between body checking and eating disorder symptoms in women with anorexia nervosa

Body checking is common among individuals with anorexia nervosa (AN) and increases risk for dietary restriction. However, no study has examined whether body checking increases the immediate risk for engaging in other harmful weight loss behaviors, or whether this relationship is moderated by person-level traits. The current study utilized ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to examine whether (a) body checking predicted rapid use of weight loss behaviors, and (b) whether eating-related obsessionality/compulsivity moderated this relationship. Women with full or subthreshold anorexia nervosa (N = 118) completed a measure of eating-related obsessionality/compulsivity at baseline, followed by a 14-day EMA protocol during which they reported on body checking and weight loss behaviors (i.e., exercise, self-induced vomiting, laxative use, skipping meals, and increasing fluid intake). In a series of generalized linear mixed models, within-person effects indicated that momentary body checking significantly predicted subsequent meal skipping and using fluids to curb appetite. Between-person effects indicated that individuals who engage in more frequent body checking also engage in a higher frequency of self-induced vomiting, meal skipping, and use of fluids to curb appetite. An individual's degree of eating-related obsessionality/compulsivity did not moderate any of these relationships. Findings highlight body checking as an immediate precursor of dangerous weight loss behaviors among individuals with AN, and underscore the need for clinicians to address body checking during treatment.

Differences in Breast Cancers Among American Indian/Alaska Native and non-Hispanic Whites in the USA

IMPORTANCE

Breast cancer (BC) death rates have not improved for American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) women, whereas, it has significantly decreased for non-Hispanic White (White) women.

OBJECTIVE

Delineate the differences in patient and tumor characteristics among AI/AN and Whites with BC, and its impact on age and stage at diagnosis as well as overall survival (OS).

METHODS

Hospital-based, cohort study using the National Cancer Database to identify female AI/AN and Whites diagnosed with BC between the years 2004 and 2016.

RESULTS

BC in 6866 AI/AN (0.3%) and 1,987,324 Whites (99.7%) were studied. The median age at diagnosis was 58 for AI/AN and 62 for Whites. AI BC patients traveled double the distance for treatment, lived in lower median income zip codes, had a higher percentage of uninsured, higher comorbidities, lower percentage of Stage 0/I, larger tumor size, greater number of positive lymph nodes, higher proportion of triple negative and HER2-positive BC than Whites. All the above comparisons were significant, p<0.001. Association between patient/tumor characteristics with age and stage at diagnosis was not significantly different between AI/AN and Whites. Unadjusted OS was worse for AI/AN as compared to Whites (HR=1.07, 95% CI=1.01-1.14, p=0.023). After adjustment of all covariates, OS was not different (HR=1.038, 95%CI=0.902-1.195, p=0.601).

CONCLUSION

There were significant differences in patient/tumor characteristics among AI/AN and White BC which adversely impacted OS in AI/AN. However, when adjusted for various covariates, the survival was similar, suggesting that the worse survival in AI/AN is mostly the impact of known biological, socio-economic, and environmental determinants of health.

Autonomic indices and loss-of-control eating in adolescents: an ecological momentary assessment study

BACKGROUND

Loss-of-control (LOC) eating commonly develops during adolescence, and it predicts full-syndrome eating disorders and excess weight gain. Although negative emotions and emotion dysregulation are hypothesized to precede and predict LOC eating, they are rarely examined outside the self-report domain. Autonomic indices, including heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV), may provide information about stress and capacity for emotion regulation in response to stress.

METHODS

We studied whether autonomic indices predict LOC eating in real-time in adolescents with LOC eating and body mass index (BMI) ⩾70th percentile. Twenty-four adolescents aged 12-18 (67% female; BMI percentile mean ± standard deviation = 92.6 ± 9.4) who reported at least twice-monthly LOC episodes wore biosensors to monitor HR, HRV, and physical activity for 1 week. They reported their degree of LOC after all eating episodes on a visual analog scale (0-100) using a smartphone.

RESULTS

Adjusting for physical activity and time of day, higher HR and lower HRV predicted higher self-reported LOC after eating. Parsing between- and within-subjects effects, there was a significant, positive, within-subjects association between pre-meal HR and post-meal LOC rating. However, there was no significant within-subjects effect for HRV, nor were there between-subjects effects for either electrophysiologic variable.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings suggest that autonomic indices may either be a marker of risk for subsequent LOC eating or contribute to LOC eating. Linking physiological markers with behavior in the natural environment can improve knowledge of illness mechanisms and provide new avenues for intervention.

Self-hate, dissociation, and suicidal behavior in bulimia nervosa

BACKGROUND

Individuals with eating disorders (EDs) often struggle with markedly low self- esteem and are at risk for suicidal behavior. Dissociation and perceived burdensomeness are often cited as facilitators of suicidal outcomes. Specifically, perceived burdensomeness is comprised of self-hate and liability on others, although it remains unclear which variables most heavily influence suicidal behavior in EDs.

METHODS

In a sample of 204 women with bulimia nervosa, the present study examined the potential impact of self-hate and dissociation on suicidal behavior. We hypothesized that suicidal behavior would be equally, and potentially more strongly, related to self-hate than dissociation. Regression analyses investigated the unique effects of these variables on suicidal behavior.

RESULTS

Consistent with our hypothesis, a significant relationship emerged between self-hate and suicidal behavior (B = 0.262, SE = 0.081, p < .001, CIs = 0.035-0.110, R-squared =0.07) but not between dissociation and suicidal behavior (B = 0.010, SE = 0.007, p = .165, CIs = -0.389-2.26, R-squared =0.010). Additionally, when controlling for one another, both self-hate (B = 0.889, SE = 0.246, p < .001, CIs = 0.403-1.37) and capability for suicide (B = 0.233, SE = 0.080, p = .004, CIs = 0.076-0.391) were uniquely and independently associated with suicidal behavior.

LIMITATIONS

Future work should include longitudinal analyses to understand temporal relationships among study variables.

CONCLUSIONS

In sum, when considering suicidal outcomes, these findings support a view that highlights personal loathing rooted in self-hate rather than de-personalizing aspects of dissociation. Accordingly, self-hate may emerge as a particularly valuable target for treatment and suicide prevention in EDs.

Deficits in cognitive control during alcohol consumption after bariatric surgery

BACKGROUND

While bariatric surgery results in substantial weight loss, one negative side effect of surgery is that patients often experience more rapid and intense intoxication effects after consuming alcohol.

OBJECTIVES

Given that alcohol use has been associated with impaired cognitive functioning in the general population, this study examined whether acute alcohol consumption after bariatric surgery immediately led to impaired cognitive control, and whether this effect was impacted by baseline levels of cognitive control.

SETTING

Nonprofit teaching hospital, United States.

METHODS

Participants were 34 adults who attended a laboratory visit before and 1 year after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery, wherein they consumed a weight-based dose of alcohol and completed cognitive testing over the course of 3 hours.

RESULTS

A series of generalized mixed-effect models demonstrated that performance on the cognitive task generally improved over time, likely due to practice effects. However, following bariatric surgery, individuals with impaired cognitive control before consuming alcohol experienced greater commission errors immediately afterward.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that alcohol use after bariatric surgery may produce immediate deficits in inhibitory control among individuals who are already vulnerable to impaired cognitive control. Clinicians should seek to educate bariatric surgery candidates on this possible effect, as deficits in inhibitory control may ultimately lead to risky behaviors and poor adherence with postsurgical medical recommendations.

Identifying transdiagnostically relevant risk and protective factors for internalizing psychopathology: An umbrella review of longitudinal meta-analyses

Internalizing mental disorders are highly comorbid with one another, and evidence suggests that etiological processes contributing to these disorders often overlap. This systematic umbrella review aimed to synthesize meta-analytic evidence from observational longitudinal studies to provide a comprehensive overview of potentially modifiable risk and protective factors across the depressive, anxiety, and eating disorder psychopathology domains. Six databases were searched from inception to August 2022. Only meta-analyses of longitudinal studies that accounted for baseline psychopathology (either via exclusion of baseline cases or statistical adjustment for baseline symptoms) were included. Methodological quality of meta-analyses was evaluated using the AMSTAR 2, and quality of evidence for each analysis was rated using GRADE. Study selection, quality assessment, and data extraction were conducted in duplicate by independent reviewers. The protocol for this review was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42020185575). Sixty-one meta-analyses were included, corresponding to 137 meta-analytic estimates for unique risk/protective factor-psychopathology relationships. Most potential risk/protective factors, however, were examined only in relation to depressive psychopathology. Concern over mistakes and self-esteem were the only risk and protective factors, respectively, identified as statistically significant across depressive, anxiety, and eating disorder psychopathology domains. Eight risk factors and four protective factors also emerged as having transdiagnostic relevance across depressive and anxiety domains. Results suggest intervention targets that may be valuable for preventing/treating the spectrum of internalizing psychopathology and reducing comorbidity. However, few factors were identified as transdiagnostically relevant across all three internalizing domains, highlighting the need for more research investigating similar sets of potential risk/protective factors across internalizing domains.

Relative food abundance predicts greater binge-eating symptoms in subsequent hours among young adults experiencing food insecurity: Support for the "feast-or-famine" cycle hypothesis from an ecological momentary assessment study

Food insecurity (FI) may increase risk for binge eating through a "feast-or-famine" cycle, where fluctuations in food availability correspond to alternating periods of food restriction and opportunities for binge eating, but research on this topic is limited. To clarify the relationship between food availability and binge eating in the context of FI, this study examined the association between momentary food security level and subsequent binge-eating symptoms among individuals in food-insecure households and investigated how this association differs by factors that may modify the extent to which food availability fluctuates. Ecological momentary assessment data were collected in 2020-2021 from 75 young adults (Mage = 25.3 ± 1.8 years; 72% female; 72% Black, Indigenous, or a Person of Color) in the United States who had experienced past-month household FI. For 14 days, participants reported four times per day on food security and eating episodes, and binge-eating symptoms were assessed for each reported eating episode. About 35% of the variance in momentary food security ratings was accounted for by within-person variability over time. A significant within-person association was observed in multilevel analyses, indicating that instances of greater food security relative to one's average level predicted greater subsequent binge-eating symptoms. Moderation analyses revealed that this association was significant only among individuals reporting use of food assistance programs, high engagement in resource trade-off coping strategies (e.g., skipping bill payments to buy food), or low food security-related self-efficacy. Overall, findings offer support for the "feast-or-famine" cycle hypothesis as an explanation for the link between FI and binge eating, emphasize the importance of identifying approaches to promote more stable access to adequate food, and suggest potential intervention targets to reduce risk for binge eating in populations experiencing FI.

Comparing randomized controlled trials of outpatient family-based or inpatient multimodal treatment followed by outpatient care in youth with anorexia nervosa: Differences in populations, metrics, and outcomes

OBJECTIVE

Various approaches exist to treat youth with anorexia nervosa (AN). Family-based treatment (FBT) has never been compared to long inpatient, multimodal treatment (IMT) in a randomized controlled trial (RCT). The aim of this study was to compare data on body weight trajectories, change in eating disorder psychopathology, hospital days and treatment costs in RCTs delivering FBT or IMT.

METHOD

Review of RCTs published between 2010 and 2020 in youth with AN, delivering FBT or IMT.

RESULTS

Four RCTs delivering FBT (United States, n = 2; Australia, n = 2), one RCT delivering Family Therapy for AN (United Kingdom) and two RCTs delivering IMT (France, n = 1; Germany, n = 1) were identified from previous meta-analyses. The comparison of studies was limited by (1) significant differences in patient baseline characteristics including pretreated versus non-pretreated patients, (2) use of different psychometric and weight measures and (3) different initial velocity of weight recovery. Minimal baseline and outcome reporting standards for body weight metrics and nature/dose of interventions allowing international comparison are needed and suggestions to developing these standards are presented.

DISCUSSION

An RCT should investigate, whether FBT is a viable alternative to IMT, leading to comparable weight and psychopathology improvement with less inpatient time and costs.

It Is Not What Happens to You But How You React to It That Matters: PTSD as a Moderator of the Association Between Trauma and Impulsive Behaviors

ABSTRACT

We examined the moderating role of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the association between trauma and impulsive behaviors. Adult women ( N = 97) with a history of childhood sexual abuse (CSA; n = 26), rape in adulthood ( n = 21), both CSA and adult rape ( n = 25), or no history of sexual trauma ( n = 25) completed self-report questionnaires. PTSD symptoms were positively associated with self-harm and with stealing and accident proneness, but not with sexual impulsivity. Trauma group had no independent associations with impulsive behaviors. PTSD reexperiencing symptoms interacted with trauma group such that reexperiencing symptoms were positively associated with self-harm for the two trauma groups that included CSA but not for the control and adult rape-only groups. Overall, results indicate that PTSD symptoms-more so than the occurrence of trauma itself-associate with impulsive behavior. Results highlight the importance of assessing posttraumatic symptomatology, and not just trauma occurrence, when aiming to prevent or treat impulsive behaviors.

"Feeling fat," disgust, guilt, and shame: Preliminary evaluation of a mediation model of binge-eating in adults with higher-weight bodies

"Feeling fat" is a subjective state that theoretically contributes to the maintenance of binge eating (BE). However, feeling fat, and its relation to BE among individuals with higher-weight bodies, has been infrequently studied. This study proposes a momentary-level model in which negative moral emotion states (disgust, guilt, shame) mediate the association between feeling fat and binge eating. In this study, 50 adults with higher-weight bodies (MBMI=40.3 ± 8.5 kg/m2; 84% female) completed a two-week ecological momentary assessment protocol, which measured experiences of feeling fat, emotion states, and binge-eating behavior. Univariate generalized linear mixed models (GLMM) evaluated the momentary associations among levels of feeling fat at Time 1, emotion states at Time 2, and binge eating at Time 2, controlling for Time 1 emotion states. GLMM results suggest that increases in each emotion from Time 1 to Time 2 mediated the association between Time 1 feeling fat and Time 2 binge eating. When modeled simultaneously within one multivariate multilevel structured equation model, disgust appeared to drive the relation between feeling fat and binge eating, over and above guilt and shame. Although preliminary, findings suggest increases in negative moral emotions, particularly disgust, mediate the feeling fat-binge eating association in adults with higher-weight bodies.

Past-Year Abuse and Eating Disorder Symptoms Among U.S. College Students

Evidence consistently indicates associations between eating disorders (EDs) and childhood emotional, physical, and sexual abuse, but the relationship between EDs and abuse occurring later in development has largely been unexplored. Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine associations between past-year abuse and ED symptoms among college students. Participants represented 12 U.S. colleges and universities participating in the Healthy Bodies Study (HBS) between 2013 and 2015 (N = 10,204; M_age = 23.38 years). Students self-reported experiences of emotional, physical, and sexual abuse over the past year. Cognitive ED symptoms (i.e., dietary restraint, shape/weight overvaluation, body dissatisfaction) were measured via the Short-Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire (S-EDE-Q), and behavioral ED symptoms (i.e., binge eating, purging) were measured via items from the full EDE-Q. Regression models that adjusted for demographics and weight status were conducted to examine associations between past-year abuse and ED symptoms. Past-year emotional, physical, and sexual abuse each exhibited independent associations with ED symptoms. When mutually adjusting for emotional, physical, and sexual abuse, past-year emotional abuse was associated with higher levels of dietary restraint (b = 0.20, p = .02), shape/weight overvaluation (b = 0.85, p < .001), body dissatisfaction (b = 0.63, p < .001), binge eating (prevalence ratio [PR] = 1.23, p = .002), and purging (PR = 1.68, p < .001), and past-year sexual abuse was associated with shape/weight overvaluation (b = 0.35, p = .03) and purging (PR = 1.71, p = .009) but no other ED symptoms. No associations were observed for past-year physical abuse in mutually adjusted models. In summary, past-year emotional abuse emerged as a key correlate of all ED symptoms examined in this sample of U.S. college students, while past-year sexual abuse also emerged as a key correlate of shape/weight overvaluation and purging. Findings emphasize the need to screen for abuse and implement abuse prevention efforts on college campuses.

Interrater reliability and internal consistency of the eating disorder examination in the longitudinal assessment of bariatric surgery study

BACKGROUND

Psychometric studies of eating disorder measures within bariatric surgery populations are limited.

OBJECTIVES

To examine the interrater reliability and internal consistency of the Eating Disorder Examination (EDE) among patients before and after bariatric surgery.

SETTING

Three clinical centers of the Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery Research Consortium.

METHODS

The EDE-Bariatric Surgery Version was administered and audio-recorded by trained interviewers before and at annual assessments after bariatric surgery. Approximately 20% of interviews were randomly selected for rating by a second interviewer. Reliability of the original and brief EDE subscales was examined.

RESULTS

Interrater reliability of the EDE subscales ranged from .86-.97 for the original subscales and .83-.95 for brief subscales before surgery, and .90-.98 for the original subscales and .92-.97 for brief subscales after bariatric surgery. Interrater agreement (based on kappa) was almost perfect for overeating and binge-eating behaviors and substantial for loss-of-control eating before surgery. Similar interrater agreements (based on kappa) were observed after surgery for subjective overeating and binge-eating episodes. Internal consistency of the subscale and global scores was variable, ranging from .41-.97.

CONCLUSION

Findings provide support of the interrater reliability of the EDE, albeit with variable internal consistency, before and after bariatric surgery. Despite support for trained raters to reliably assess EDE constructs, variability in internal consistency suggests that further psychometric testing and rigorous scale development of disordered eating may be needed for the bariatric surgery population.

Attachment insecurity predicts worse outcome in patients with eating disorders treated with enhanced cognitive behavior therapy: A one-year follow-up study

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to explore the role of attachment insecurity in predicting a worse longitudinal trend of eating disorder (ED) psychopathology and body uneasiness in patients with Anorexia Nervosa (AN) or Bulimia Nervosa (BN) treated with Enhanced Cognitive Behavior Therapy, considering the longitudinal interplay between these dimensions.

METHOD

In total, 185 patients with AN or BN performed the baseline assessment, and 123 were re-evaluated after 1 year of treatment. Participants completed questionnaires evaluating ED psychopathology (Eating Disorders Examination Questionnaire) and body uneasiness (body uneasiness test). For the assessment of adult attachment, the Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised was administered at baseline. Bivariate latent change score analysis within the structural equation modeling framework was performed to investigate the evolution of ED psychopathology and body uneasiness, their longitudinal interplay, and the role of attachment style as an outcome predictor.

RESULTS

After treatment, all psychopathological features showed an overall improvement. Higher baseline levels of body uneasiness predicted a worse course of ED psychopathology. The change in body uneasiness over time depended on changes over time in ED psychopathology, but not vice versa. Insecure attachment predicted a worse longitudinal trend of ED psychopathology, and, through this impairment, it indirectly maintained higher levels of body uneasiness, as confirmed by mediation analyses.

DISCUSSION

The role of attachment insecurity as a predictor of treatment outcome suggests the need for an integration of the cognitive-behavioral conceptualization of EDs with a developmental perspective that considers attachment-related issues.

PUBLIC SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT

Considering the burden of EDs in terms of public health and the unsatisfactory response to standard treatments, the identification of outcome predictors is of considerable clinical interest. This study demonstrated that attachment insecurity was associated with worse longitudinal trends of ED psychopathology and body uneasiness in patients with AN and BN treated with CBT-E, highlighting the importance of personalizing treatment programs taking into account a developmental perspective on these disorders.

State negative affect in relation to loss-of-control eating among children and adolescents in the natural environment

Affect regulation theory proposes that loss-of-control (LOC)-eating is preceded by increases and followed by decreases in negative affect (NA), but empirical tests of this theory among pediatric samples in the natural environment are needed. Using an ecological momentary assessment approach, we conducted post-hoc analyses to examine LOC-eating severity reported during post-meal surveys in relation to the intensity of composite NA and NA components (anger, anxiety, depression, guilt) throughout the day for two weeks in a cohort of healthy children and adolescents. Multilevel models tested the associations among LOC-eating severity and NA components reported at pre-meal surveys (t-1), post-meal surveys (t), and lagged post-meal surveys (t+1). Models were adjusted for sex, age, race/ethnicity, height, fat mass, socioeconomic status, and time between the occurrence and report of eating episodes; post-meal analyses were also adjusted for pre-meal NA. Participants age 8-17 (N = 100; 55% female; 45% male; 12.83 ± 2.73y; 24% with overweight/obesity) recorded 2410 eating episodes. Pre-meal composite NA and NA components were not associated with LOC-eating severity at the subsequent meal. LOC-eating severity was positively associated with post-meal depression (β = 0.042, 95% CI = 0.007, 0.076) and guilt (β = 0.056, 95% CI = 0.017, 0.095), but not composite negative affect, anger, or anxiety. The positive association among LOC-eating severity and guilt persisted in lagged post-meal analyses (β = 0.075, 95% CI = 0.021, 0.128). Contrary to affect regulation theory and laboratory data, but consistent with prior ecological momentary assessment data in children and adolescents, pre-meal NA was not linked to subsequent LOC-eating. Increased guilt following meals may be a mechanism for the development of exacerbated disordered eating. Longitudinal studies may elucidate how NA is implicated in the etiology of pediatric eating disorders.

Dialectical behavior therapy compared to cognitive behavior therapy in binge-eating disorder: An effectiveness study with 6-month follow-up

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate whether the results of a quasi-randomized study, comparing dialectical behavior therapy for binge-eating disorder (DBT-BED) and an intensive, outpatient cognitive behavior therapy (CBT+) in individuals with BED, would be replicated in a nonrandomized study with patients who more closely resemble everyday clinical practice.

METHOD

Patients with (subthreshold) BED (N = 175) started one of two group treatments: DBT-BED (n = 42) or CBT+ (n = 133), at a community eating disorder service. Measures of eating disorder pathology, emotion regulation, and general psychopathology were examined at end of treatment (EOT) and at 6-month follow-up using generalized linear models with multiple imputation.

RESULTS

Both treatments lead to substantial decreases on primary and secondary measures. Statistically significant, medium-size differences between groups were limited to global eating disorder psychopathology (d = -.62; 95% CI = .231, .949) at EOT and depressive symptoms at follow-up (d = -.45; 95% CI = .149, 6.965), favoring CBT+. Dropout of treatment included 15.0% from CBT+ and 19.0% from DBT-BED (difference nonsignificant).

DISCUSSION

Decreases in global eating disorder psychopathology were achieved faster with CBT+. Overall, improvements in DBT-BED were comparable to those observed in CBT+. Findings of the original trial, favoring CBT+ on the number of OBE episodes, emotional dysregulation and self-esteem at EOT, and on eating disorder psychopathology and self-esteem at follow-up, were not replicated. With similar rates of treatment dropout and about half of the therapy time used in CBT+, DBT-BED can be considered a relevant treatment for BED in everyday clinical practice.

PUBLIC SIGNIFICANCE

In this effectiveness study, dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) resulted in clinically relevant improvements in individuals with binge eating disorder. Changes were broadly comparable to those of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), the current treatment of choice. Although CBT resulted in decreases in eating disorder psychopathology faster, there was a trend toward relapse in CBT at 6-month follow-up. Therefore, the less costly DBT-program can be considered a relevant treatment in clinical practice.

Food insecurity and its associations with bulimic-spectrum eating disorders, mood disorders, and anxiety disorders in a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults

PURPOSE

To examine cross-sectional associations between food insecurity and 12-month eating disorders, mood disorders, and anxiety disorders among U.S. adults.

METHODS

This study used data collected between 2001 and 2003 from 2914 participants in the National Comorbidity Survey-Replication, a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults (mean age = 44.9 years; 53.4% female). Twelve-month food insecurity was assessed with a modified version of the Short Form U.S. Household Food Security Scale. Twelve-month DSM-IV diagnoses of mental disorders were based on the World Health Organization Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Modified Poisson regression models were conducted, adjusting for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, and income-to-poverty ratio.

RESULTS

Food insecurity was experienced by 11.1% of participants. Food insecurity was associated with greater prevalence of bulimic-spectrum eating disorders (prevalence ratio [PR] = 3.81; 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.26-6.42), mood disorders (PR = 2.53; 95% CI 1.96-3.29), and anxiety disorders (PR = 1.69; 95% CI 1.39-2.07).

CONCLUSION

Results indicate that food insecurity is associated with a range of internalizing mental disorders, though these findings should be confirmed with contemporary data to reflect DSM-5 diagnostic updates and the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings from this study emphasize the need to expand food insecurity interventions and improve access to mental health services for food-insecure populations.

Relationships Between Childhood Abuse and Eating Pathology Among Individuals with Binge-Eating Disorder: examining the Moderating Roles of Self-Discrepancy and Self-Directed Style

Childhood maltreatment appears to increase the risk for eating disorders (EDs). The current study examined potential moderating factors (i.e., self-discrepancy and negative self-directed style), which may increase or decrease the impact of maltreatment (i.e., emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse) on later ED symptoms. One hundred seven men and women with binge-eating disorder (BED) completed semi-structured interviews and questionnaires assessing childhood maltreatment, self-discrepancy, negative self-directed style, and ED pathology. Linear regression was used to examine the moderating role of self-discrepancy and negative self-directed style in the associations between each type of abuse and level of ED severity. Actual:ought self-discrepancy (i.e., the difference between one's self and who one believes they ought to be) moderated the relationships between ED pathology and emotional abuse (β =.26 p =.007), as well as physical abuse (β =.23, p =.02). Results suggest that the relationship between childhood abuse (i.e., emotional abuse, physical abuse) and ED pathology may be stronger for those with higher levels of actual:ought self-discrepancy. Further clarification of the relationships between actual:ought self-discrepancy and distinct forms of childhood abuse is needed, as well as intervention studies examining whether targeting actual:ought self-discrepancy provides an additional benefit for trauma-exposed individuals with BED.

Evaluating the predictive validity of purging disorder by comparison to bulimia nervosa at long-term follow-up

OBJECTIVE

The current study sought to examine the predictive validity of the purging disorder diagnosis at long-term follow-up by comparing naturalistic outcomes with bulimia nervosa.

METHOD

Women with purging disorder (N = 84) or bulimia nervosa (N = 133) who had completed comprehensive baseline assessments as part of one of three studies between 2000 and 2012 were sought for follow-up assessment. Nearly all (94.5%) responded to recruitment materials and 150 (69% of sought sample; 83.3% non-Hispanic white; 33.40 [7.63] years old) participated at an average of 10.59 (3.71) years follow-up. Participants completed the Eating Disorder Examination, the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV, and a questionnaire battery. Diagnostic groups were compared on eating disorder (illness status, recovery status, and eating pathology) and related outcomes. Group differences in predictors of outcome were explored.

RESULTS

There were no significant differences in eating disorder presence (p = .70), recovery status (p = .87), and level of eating pathology (p = .17) between diagnostic groups at follow-up. Post hoc equivalence tests indicated group differences were smaller than a medium effect size (p's ≤ .005). Groups differed in diagnosis at follow-up (p = .002); diagnostic stability was more likely than cross-over to bulimia nervosa for women with baseline purging disorder (p = .004).

DISCUSSION

Although purging disorder and bulimia nervosa do not differ in long-term outcomes, the relative stability in clinical presentation suggests baseline group differences in clinical presentation may be useful in augmenting treatments for purging disorder.

PUBLIC SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT

While purging disorder is classified as an "other specified" eating disorder, individuals who experience this disorder have comparable negative long-term outcomes as those with bulimia nervosa. This highlights the importance of screening for and treating purging disorder as a full-threshold eating disorder.

Using the acquired preparedness model to explore the role of eating expectancies and impulsivity in binge eating

The acquired preparedness (AP) model of eating disorder (ED) risk suggests transaction between impulsive traits and eating expectancies, though there remains a lack of research investigating distinct facets of impulsivity within this framework. This study examined how different facets of impulsivity moderate associations between eating expectancies and binge-eating severity in daily life. Women with binge-eating symptoms (N = 40) completed surveys followed by 10 days of ecological momentary assessment (EMA). Generalized estimating equations examined the independent and interactive effects of impulsivity facets and eating expectancies on EMA-measured binge-eating severity. Significant interactions were found between eating expectancies and emotional and behavioral impulsivity, but not a cognitive facet. Results suggest that among women high in emotional impulsivity, those with greater eating expectancies report higher binge-eating severity. Conversely, among those with lower behavioral impulsivity, those with lower eating expectancies report lower binge-eating severity. Future prospective work is needed with non-clinical samples.

Development and validation of the Chrononutrition Profile - Diary

The circadian timing of food intake (i.e., chrononutrition) has been linked to various markers of health status, such as body weight and insulin sensitivity. However, a valid assessment of day-to-day, within-person patterns in chrononutrition has not yet been developed. This paper details the development and initial validity testing of the Chrononutrition Profile - Diary (CP-D). The CP-D assesses 6 components of chrononutrition that are likely to influence health (breakfast skipping, largest meal, evening eating, evening latency, night eating, and eating window). This measure demonstrated preliminary evidence of convergent validity with the ASA24 (Automated Self-Administered 24-hour dietary assessment tool). The CP-D is designed for use by both healthcare professionals and researchers. It can serve as an independent assessment of day-to-day patterns of chrononutrition, and can also be used along with existing dietary measures to provide a comprehensive assessment of participants' and patients' daily eating behaviors and meal timing patterns.

Naturalistically assessed associations between physical activity, affective functioning, and binge eating among adults with binge-eating disorder

Binge-eating disorder (BED) is associated with overweight/obesity, physical inactivity, and disturbances in affective functioning. While research suggests that physical activity (PA) may have beneficial effects on BED symptoms, little is known about the daily correlates of PA. As a first step in understanding the processes linking PA and binge eating, this study examined associations between PA (i.e., self-reported time engaged in moderate-to-vigorous PA), affective functioning (i.e., positive and negative affect, body satisfaction, emotion regulation), and eating-related cognitions and behaviors (i.e., craving, overeating, loss of control eating) measured via ecological momentary assessment (EMA). Adults with BED (N = 91) completed a seven-day EMA protocol during which they completed repeated measures of these variables. Results indicated individuals who reported greater time engaged in PA over the EMA protocol evidenced higher positive affect and body satisfaction, and lower overeating (between-subjects effects). No significant within-subjects effects were observed. Findings demonstrate that individual differences in PA levels were related to more adaptive affective functioning and eating regulation in daily life. Results highlight the relevance of PA in BED, and the need for future studies to identify the timescale of these relationships using objective measurements of PA.

Borderline personality disorder symptoms as mediational mechanisms linking childhood trauma and nonsuicidal self-injury among women with bulimia nervosa

OBJECTIVE

Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) frequently co-occurs with eating disorders, especially bulimia nervosa (BN). Theoretical models and empirical evidence show many overlapping risk factors for the onset and maintenance of NSSI and BN. However, among those with BN, it remains unclear what distinguishes those who do versus do not engage in NSSI. The primary objective of the present study was to identify factors predicting NSSI among women with BN. Specifically, we tested four domains of borderline personality disorder as mediators between childhood trauma and NSSI.

METHOD

Using structural equation modeling we tested a parallel mediation model to predict NSSI among women with BN (N = 130). Childhood trauma (measured by the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire at baseline) was the independent variable. The four parallel mediators (measured at baseline via the Diagnostic Interview for Borderlines, Revised) were lifetime negative affect, impulsive actions, atypical cognitions (e.g., odd thinking, unusual perceptual experiences, quasi-psychotic thinking), and interpersonal problems. The dependent variable was instances of NSSI during a subsequent two-week ecological momentary assessment protocol.

RESULTS

Childhood trauma was significantly associated with all four mediators (all p values < .01), but only atypical cognitions predicted NSSI (p = .03). The indirect path from childhood trauma to NSSI, through atypical cognitions was significant (path coefficient = .001, SE < .001, p = .01).

DISCUSSION

Among women with BN, childhood trauma was associated with atypical cognitions, which in turn predicted NSSI. Atypical cognitions may be a mechanism for NSSI in this population.

Results of the first randomized controlled trial of integrated cognitive-behavioral therapy for eating disorders and posttraumatic stress disorder

BACKGROUND

Eating disorders (EDs) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) frequently co-occur and can share a functional relationship. The primary aim of this initial randomized controlled trial was to determine whether integrated cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for co-occurring ED-PTSD was superior to standard CBT for ED in improving PTSD symptoms. Intervention safety and desirability, as well as the relative efficacy of the treatments in improving anxiety, depression, and ED symptomatology, were also examined.

METHODS

Following a course of intensive ED treatment, individuals with ED-PTSD were recruited to participate and randomized to integrated CBT for ED-PTSD or standard CBT for ED. The sample consisted of 42 individuals with a range of ED diagnoses. Outcomes were assessed at end-of-treatment, 3-, and 6-month follow-up using interview and self-report measures.

RESULTS

Mixed models revealed significant interactions of time and therapy condition on clinician-rated and self-reported PTSD symptom severity favoring Integrated CBT for ED-PTSD. Both treatments were associated with statistically significant improvements in PTSD, anxiety, and depression. Improvements were maintained at 3- and 6-month follow-up. There was good safety with both interventions, and satisfaction with both treatments was high. However, there was a stronger preference for integrated treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

Integrating CBTs for PTSD and ED following intensive ED treatment is safe, desirable, and efficacious for improving PTSD symptoms. Future studies with larger sample sizes are needed to determine whether Integrated CBT for ED-PTSD provides benefits over standard CBT for ED with respect to ED outcomes.

Negative affect and binge eating: Assessing the unique trajectories of negative affect before and after binge-eating episodes across eating disorder diagnostic classifications

OBJECTIVE

Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) studies suggest that among individuals who binge eat, emotional states and binge eating are functionally related. However, it is unclear whether the trajectory of negative affect (NA) is the same across diagnostic groups or if specific changes in affect are unique to each diagnostic category. This study examined the moderating effect of diagnosis on the trajectory of negative affect before and after binge eating.

METHOD

Adults with eating disorder diagnoses (anorexia nervosa [AN] = 118, bulimia nervosa [BN] = 133, binge-eating disorder [BED] = 112) completed an EMA where they reported binge eating and negative affect throughout the day. Generalized estimating equation analyses were used to model the trajectories of NA before and after binge eating.

RESULTS

For all individuals, the linear trajectory of NA significantly increased before (B = 0.044, p < .001) and decreased following the binge-eating episode (B = -0.054, p < .001). However, diagnosis moderated this trajectory. Specifically, individuals with BN had a greater change in linear trajectories of NA before (B = 2.305, p < .001) and after (B = -4.149, p < .001) binge eating compared to those with BED, but not those with AN. There were no differences in the trajectory of NA between individuals with BED or AN.

DISCUSSION

These findings suggest that binge-eating episodes in BN may be more strongly associated with NA than in BED, but similar to binge-eating episodes in AN.

Associations of sleep with food cravings and loss-of-control eating in youth: An ecological momentary assessment study

BACKGROUND

Inconsistent sleep patterns may promote excess weight gain by increasing food cravings and loss-of-control (LOC)-eating; however, these relationships have not been elucidated in youth.

OBJECTIVE

We tested whether sleep duration and timing were associated with food cravings and LOC-eating.

METHOD

For 14 days, youths wore actigraphy monitors to assess sleep and reported severity of food cravings and LOC-eating using ecological momentary assessment. Generalized linear mixed models tested the associations between weekly and nightly shifts in facets of sleep (i.e., duration, onset, midpoint, and waketime) and next-day food cravings and LOC-eating. Models were re-run adjusting for relevant covariates (e.g., age, sex, adiposity).

RESULTS

Among 48 youths (12.88 ± 2.69 years, 68.8% female, 33.3% with overweight/obesity), neither weekly nor nightly facets of sleep were significantly associated with food cravings (ps = 0.08-0.93). Youths with shorter weekly sleep duration (est. ß = -0.31, p = 0.004), earlier weekly midpoints (est. ß = -0.47, p = 0.010) and later weekly waketimes (est. ß = 0.49, p = 0.010) reported greater LOC-eating severity; findings persisted in adjusted models.

CONCLUSIONS

In youth, weekly, but not nightly, shifts in multiple facets of sleep were associated with LOC-eating severity; associations were not significant for food cravings. Sleep should be assessed as a potentially modifiable target in paediatric LOC-eating and obesity prevention programs.

A 1-year follow-up study of the longitudinal interplay between emotion dysregulation and childhood trauma in the treatment of anorexia nervosa

OBJECTIVE

The study aimed to investigate the complex relationship between eating disorder (ED) specific psychopathology, emotion dysregulation, and their longitudinal variations in patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) treated with a multidisciplinary approach including enhanced cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT-E), and to provide an integrated model which includes childhood trauma as a predictor of worse treatment outcomes.

METHOD

In total, 120 female patients with AN were evaluated at admission (T0), and 105 were re-evaluated after 1 year (T1) of treatment. At T0, patients underwent a clinical assessment and filled the Symptom Checklist 90-Revised (SCL90-R), the Eating Disorders Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q), the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ). SCL-90-R, EDE-Q, and DERS were readministered at T1. Variations between T0 and T1 were evaluated, and the proposed model was investigated using bivariate latent change score analysis in a structural equation modeling (SEM) framework.

RESULTS

An overall significant clinical amelioration was observed after treatment. A unidirectional effect of DERS scores on EDE-Q variations was outlined by SEM: patients with higher baseline DERS scores achieved less EDE-Q improvements, and EDE-Q latent change score was significantly predicted by longitudinal variations of DERS-but not vice versa. Higher CTQ scores predicted reduced treatment efficacy for ED-specific psychopathology through the mediating effect of higher baseline DERS scores.

DISCUSSION

The present study sheds light on the mechanism by which early trauma compromises treatment outcome in patients with AN, underlining the crucial role of emotional dysregulation.

Micro-level de-coupling of negative affect and binge eating in relationship to macro-level outcomes in binge eating disorder treatment

BACKGROUND

While negative affect reliably predicts binge eating, it is unknown how this association may decrease or 'de-couple' during treatment for binge eating disorder (BED), whether such change is greater in treatments targeting emotion regulation, or how such change predicts outcome. This study utilized multi-wave ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to assess changes in the momentary association between negative affect and subsequent binge-eating symptoms during Integrative Cognitive Affective Therapy (ICAT-BED) and Cognitive Behavior Therapy Guided Self-Help (CBTgsh). It was predicted that there would be stronger de-coupling effects in ICAT-BED compared to CBTgsh given the focus on emotion regulation skills in ICAT-BED and that greater de-coupling would predict outcomes.

METHODS

Adults with BED were randomized to ICAT-BED or CBTgsh and completed 1-week EMA protocols and the Eating Disorder Examination (EDE) at pre-treatment, end-of-treatment, and 6-month follow-up (final N = 78). De-coupling was operationalized as a change in momentary associations between negative affect and binge-eating symptoms from pre-treatment to end-of-treatment.

RESULTS

There was a significant de-coupling effect at follow-up but not end-of-treatment, and de-coupling did not differ between ICAT-BED and CBTgsh. Less de-coupling was associated with higher end-of-treatment EDE global scores at end-of-treatment and higher binge frequency at follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

Both ICAT-BED and CBTgsh were associated with de-coupling of momentary negative affect and binge-eating symptoms, which in turn relate to cognitive and behavioral treatment outcomes. Future research is warranted to identify differential mechanisms of change across ICAT-BED and CBTgsh. Results also highlight the importance of developing momentary interventions to more effectively de-couple negative affect and binge eating.

Multi-state modeling of thought-shape fusion using ecological momentary assessment

Body dissatisfaction (BD) and preoccupation with thoughts of food (PTF) are intertwined and are components of thought-shape fusion. Thought-shape fusion describes the process by which PTF lead to beliefs about weight and shape. To study thought-shape fusion in daily life and explore various transitions between BD and PTF, 30 women with binge eating completed ecological momentary assessment for 14 days. BD and PTF were assessed using continuous rating scales at each prompt. Multi-state modeling, which analyzes micro-temporal transitions between discrete states, was used to examine transitions among four states created with BD and PTF ratings. The four states included low BD/low PTF, low BD/high PTF, high BD/low PTF, and high BD/high PTF. Affect and disordered eating were examined as covariates of state transitions. Results showed high BD states were self-perpetrating, such that when in high BD states, transition to low BD states were less likely. Regarding covariates, positive affect buffered against maladaptive transitions whereas negative affect and disordered eating increased risk. Findings highlighted high BD states as influential, and negative affect and disordered eating as risk factors and positive affect as preventive. This study enhances theory of thought-shape fusion and implicates transitions from BD to PTF as possible underlying transitions.

Adverse childhood experiences in relation to mood-, weight-, and eating-related outcomes in emerging adulthood: Does self-compassion play a buffering role?

BACKGROUND

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with a range of health problems, yet protective factors such as self-compassion may help buffer these associations.

OBJECTIVE

This study examined associations of distinct patterns of ACEs with depressive symptoms, body mass index (BMI), and disordered eating symptoms and investigated self-compassion as a potential protective factor.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING

Data from a diverse sample of 1440 emerging adults (M_age = 22.2 years; 53.7% female; 80.3% with race/ethnicity other than non-Hispanic white) came from the population-based EAT 2018 (Eating and Activity over Time) study.

METHODS

Seven types of ACEs were retrospectively self-reported and used as model indicators in latent class analysis to identify patterns of ACEs. Self-compassion, depressive symptoms, height and weight (to calculate BMI), and disordered eating symptoms were also assessed. Demographic-adjusted regression models were conducted.

RESULTS

Three latent classes emerged: "low ACEs" (66.5% of the sample), "household dysfunction" (24.3%), and "household dysfunction and abuse" (9.1%). Compared to participants in the "low ACEs" class, participants in either latent class involving household dysfunction demonstrated higher levels of depressive and disordered eating symptoms. Participants in the "household dysfunction and abuse" class also had higher BMI. Associations differed by self-compassion for depressive symptoms (p_interaction = 0.01), BMI (p_interaction = 0.03), and disordered eating symptoms (p_interaction = 0.005), such that associations for latent classes characterized by ACEs were weaker with higher levels of self-compassion.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest self-compassion may act as a buffer against adverse mood-, weight-, and eating-related outcomes in the face of adversity and therefore may be an important intervention target.

A systematic review of instruments for the assessment of eating disorders among adults

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

The availability of psychometrically sound assessment instruments for assessing eating disorder symptomatology is crucial for both clinical practice and research. The purpose of the current review is to provide the reader with a list of psychometrically validated assessments for adults that are available within the field of eating disorders. Eating disorder interviews and self-report questionnaires were identified using online literature searches, reviewing previous review articles, and via research and/or clinical experience of the authors. The focus of the review was on (1) standard assessments that were frequently used in eating disorder research (such as the Eating Disorder Examination and Eating Attitudes Test), and (2) newer assessments that were developed over the past 5 years. Information compiled on each instrument included the purpose of the assessment, scores that can be derived, psychometric information, translations in other languages, and availability for use in research and clinical settings.

RECENT FINDINGS

Several recent trends in assessment instruments were identified including updates based upon Diagnostic and Statistical Manual criteria, briefer assessments, assessments for specific populations, and assessment of specific clinical features observed in people with eating disorders.

SUMMARY

The current review provides eating disorder clinicians and researchers a guide for making informed decisions about the selection of eating disorder assessments.

Family-based treatment for adolescent anorexia nervosa: Outcomes of a stepped-care model

OBJECTIVE

Stepped-care models of treatment are underexplored in eating disorders. To enhance treatment outcomes, and informed by literature about adaptations to family-based treatment (FBT), we developed an FBT-based stepped-care model for adolescents with anorexia nervosa (AN) that was consistent with family preference (i.e., tailored) and responsive to adolescent needs (i.e., intensity). The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of this model in terms of remission at end-of-treatment.

METHOD

Adolescents (N = 82), aged 12-18 years (M = 15.1, SD = 1.8) and meeting Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5th Edition criteria for AN, were assessed at baseline, Weeks 24 and 48. FBT was tailored to family preference and clinical need, with 16-18 sessions by Week 24. This was followed by three FBT booster sessions or an extension of FBT plus booster sessions (Week 48). The primary outcome was defined as weight > 95% of %median body mass index plus within 1 SD of the Eating Disorder Examination (EDE) global score community norms.

RESULTS

Remission rates were 45.1% and 52.4% at Weeks 24 and 48, respectively. Commensurable improvements were evident across secondary outcomes (e.g., EDE subscale scores). As a reference point, remission rates compared positively with results from a recent randomized clinical trial from the same center and at the same time points (Week 24:45.1% vs. 32.1% and Week 48:52.4% vs. 30.2%). Controlling for propensity score, no statistically significant differences were observed.

DISCUSSION

This stepped-care model, designed to be responsive to the individual needs of adolescents and their families, achieved encouraging rates of remission. This study provides an important signal that supports future clinical trials of stepped-care models for adolescents with AN.

Pain is adversely related to weight loss maintenance following bariatric surgery

BACKGROUND

Pain and obesity are frequently co-morbid health conditions; thus, it is unsurprising that pain is commonly experienced by individuals seeking bariatric surgery. While pain is generally reduced in the short-term after surgery, there is also variability in pain outcomes and less is known about how unresolved or recurring pain may relate to long-term weight loss and weight loss maintenance.

OBJECTIVES

This study evaluated trajectories of pain scores through 7 years following bariatric surgery and whether higher pain levels related to poorer weight loss and greater weight regain.

SETTING

Data were collected from 3 university hospitals, 1 private not-for-profit research institute, and 1 community hospital.

METHODS

Self-report measures of pain and weight change data were utilized for 1702 adults seeking Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery from the Longitudinal Assessment for Bariatric Surgery (LABS) cohort. A series of linear mixed models examined trajectories of pain scores and the concurrent predictive relationship between pain and weight outcomes from pre-surgery through 7 years post-surgery.

RESULTS

Overall bodily-, hip-, and knee-pain improved through 2 years, deteriorated from 2-5 years, and then slightly improved from 5-7 years following surgery (P < .001). Greater pain was concurrently associated with less weight loss and greater weight regain over time (P ≤ .006).

CONCLUSION

Pain is evident in the long-term following bariatric surgery and associated with suboptimal weight outcomes. More research is needed to identify mechanisms underlying this relationship, which may ultimately help develop appropriate pain assessment and treatment strategies to ensure optimal post-surgery outcomes.

Eating expectancies and reinforcement learning: a state-based test of affect regulation and expectancy models in the natural environment

PURPOSE

Affect regulation and expectancy-based models suggest that improvement in affect following binge-eating (BE) episodes contributes to increased eating expectancies, which then promote BE maintenance.

METHODS

The current pilot study utilized ecological momentary assessment to examine the prospective independent and interactive effects of eating reinforcement experiences [operationalized as reductions in negative affect (NA) following BE episodes] and eating expectancies on subsequent BE behavior among 17 women with recurrent BE.

RESULTS

Greater reductions in momentary NA following a BE episode (i.e., greater reinforcement) predicted higher levels of eating expectancies on the following day. Further, current eating expectancies interacted with proximal reinforcement history to predict future BE episodes. Participants were more likely to report BE episodes on days that were characterized by higher eating expectancies and preceded immediately by a day during which they experienced greater reinforcement from BE.

CONCLUSION

These preliminary results are consistent with affect regulation and expectancy-based models of BE, suggesting a dynamic and potentially modifiable process of reward-based learning associated with BE behavior.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level IV, multiple time series.