THE CORRELATES OF BINGE-EATING IN 2 NONPATIENT SAMPLES

Binge eating in two nonpatient samples was examined as a function of a ctual body weight (expressed as BMI), attempts to control eating, food /weight preoccupation, and neuroticism. All of these factors were univ ariately associated with binge eating, but multivariate analyses indic ated that food/weight preoccupation was the most powerful predictor, a ccounting for much of the common variance shared by the various correl ates. This replicates previous work and suggests that the dynamics of subclinical bingeing are substantially similar to that found in the fu ll DSM-III-R syndrome of bulimia nervosa.