FOOD CRAVERS - CHARACTERISTICS OF THOSE WHO BINGE

Objective: Food cravings are a frequently described antecedent to bing e eating, yet not all of those who report food cravings also binge eat . The present study sought to determine the factors that distinguish c ravers who binge versus those whose cravings are satisfied by a relati vely ''normal'' amount of food. Method: A food craving questionnaire, a psychiatric diagnostic interview containing questions on binge eatin g, and a self-report booklet were completed by a group of cravers recr uited by advertisement and a group of cravers from a randomly selected sample. Results: In both groups, the cravers who binged were differen tiated from those who did not binge by higher measures of body mass in dex (BMI) more frequent diagnoses of bulimia nervosa, a higher level o f dietary restraint, and a by a temperament characterized by low self- directedness. In the recruited cravers, those who binged were also mor e likely to have had an episode of major depression, social phobia, to be cognitively controlled and harm avoidant. A comparison of recruite d cravers with randomly selected cravers and control women suggests th at greater rates of psychopathology and eating-related disturbances an d lower levels of parental care may be found in recruited samples. Dis cussion: In addition to elucidating factors associated with binge eati ng in cravers, this study highlights important differences between rec ruited and random samples. (C) 1998 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.