Subtyping binge eating-disordered women along dieting and negative affect dimensions

Objective: Because etiologic and maintenance models of binge eating center around dieting and affect regulation, this study tested whether binge eatin g-disordered (BED) individuals could be subtyped along dieting and negative affect dimensions and whether subtypes differed in eating pathology, socia l functioning, psychiatric comorbidity, and response to treatment. Method: Three independent samples of interviewer-diagnosed BED women (N = 218) were subtyped along dieting and negative affect dimensions using cluster analys is and compared on the outcomes of interest. Results: Cluster analyses repl icated across the three independent samples and revealed a dietary subtype (63%) and a dietary-depressive subtype (37%). The latter subtype reported g reater eating and weight obsessions, social maladjustment, higher lifetime rates of mood, anxiety, and personality disorders, and poorer response to t reatment than did the dietary subtype. Discussion: Results suggest that mod erate dieting is a central feature of BED and that affective disturbances o ccur in only a subset of cases. However, the confluence of dieting and nega tive affect signals a more severe variant of the disorder marked by elevate d psychopathology, impaired social functioning and a poorer treatment respo nse. (C) 2001 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.