RISK-FACTORS FOR BINGE-EATING DISORDER - A COMMUNITY-BASED, CASE-CONTROL STUDY

Background: Many risk factors have been implicated for eating disorder s, although little is known about those for binge eating disorder. Met hods: A community-based, case-control design was used to compare 52 wo men with binge eating disorder, 104 without an eating disorder, 102 wi th other psychiatric disorders, and 102 with bulimia nervosa. Results: The main risk factors identified from the comparison of subjects with binge eating disorder with healthy control subjects were certain adve rse childhood experiences, parental depression, vulnerability to obesi ty, and repeated exposure to negative comments about shape, weight, an d eating. Compared with the subjects with other psychiatric disorders, those with binge eating disorder reported more childhood obesity and more exposure to negative comments about shape, weight, and eating. Ce rtain childhood traits and pronounced vulnerability to obesity disting uished the subjects with bulimia nervosa from those with binge eating disorder. Conclusions: Binge eating disorder appears to be associated with exposure to risk factors for psychiatric disorder and for obesity . When compared with the wide range of risk factors for bulimia nervos a, the risk factors for binge eating disorder are weaker and more circ umscribed. Premorbid perfectionism, negative self-evaluation, and vuln erability to obesity appear especially to characterize those in whom b ulimia nervosa subsequently develops.