Predictors of treatment outcome for binge eating disorder

Objective: The purpose of this study was to identify predictors of short-te rm treatment outcome for individuals with binge eating disorder (BED). Meth od: Fifty women who met DSM-IV criteria for BED were enrolled in a manual-b ased group cognitive-behavioral therapy that consisted of fourteen I-hr ses sions over an 8-week period. Baseline measures included the frequency of se lf-reported binge eating from the Eating Behaviors-IV (EB-IV), severity of binge eating and dietary restraint using the Binge Eating Scale (BES) and T hree-Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ), depressive symptoms as assessed by the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Hamilton Depression Rating Sca le (HDRS) and self-esteem as measured by the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Question naire (RSEQ). Results: Logistic regression analyses indicated that the base line frequency of self-reported episodes of binge eating that were objectiv ely large predicted the likelihood of such episodes at the end of treatment . No variables predicted the likelihood of binge eating episodes that were objectively and subjectively large at the conclusion of treatment. Discussi on: This study indicates that the frequency of binge eating episodes at bas eline is predictive of outcome status at the end of treatment, suggesting t hat meaningful prognostic factors in BED are identifiable. (C) 2000 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.