Psychosocial correlates of binge eating

Abstract

Binge eating, defined as the consumption of an objectively large amount of food accompanied by a sense of loss of control (LOC) while eating, is a transdiagnostic feature of eating disorders and often presents outside the context of full syndrome eating disorder diagnoses. Individuals with binge eating often report lower levels of psychosocial functioning than those who do not endorse binge eating. This chapter provides a comprehensive review of the existing literature on the relation between binge eating and psychosocial functioning in youth and adults, including cross-sectional, longitudinal, and momentary studies. Overall, the evidence suggests that individuals who endorse binge eating also experience higher levels of psychiatric comorbidity, lower quality of life, and increased internalizing and externalizing symptoms than the general population. Additionally, in some cases, the relation between binge eating and psychosocial impairment may be bidirectional in nature. This evidence underscores the importance of addressing psychosocial impairment in the context of binge eating treatment, as well as the need to assess binge eating symptoms among individuals with heightened psychosocial impairment in clinical settings.