While there is good evidence that binge eating disorder (BED) is linked to higher-than-expected use of a broad range of addictive behaviors, mechanisms underlying this association are not well understood. Using a mediation-analytical approach with three age- and gender-matched groups - overweight/obese adults with (n = 42) and without (n = 104) BED, and normal-weight control participants (n = 73) - we tested the hypothesis that adults with BED would engage in more addictive behaviors and have higher scores on a personality-risk index than the two control groups. We also anticipated that the relationship between BED and addictive behaviors would be mediated by a high-risk personality profile. The predicted mediation effect was strongly supported. Contrary to expectation, BED participants did not engage in more addictive behaviors or have higher personality-risk scores than their weight-matched counterparts. However, both overweight/obese groups did have significantly higher scores than the normal-weight group. The relationships among personality risk, elevated body mass index (BMI), and addictive behaviors have important clinical implications, especially for treatments that target psycho-behavioral intervention for compulsive overeating and substance-use disorders.
CITATION STYLE
Davis, C., Mackew, L., Levitan, R. D., Kaplan, A. S., Carter, J. C., & Kennedy, J. L. (2017). Binge Eating Disorder (BED) in Relation to addictive behaviors and personality risk factors. Frontiers in Psychology, 8(APR). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00579
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