Psychosocial variables associated with binge eating in obese males and females

Objective: This study tested a psychosocial model of binge eating symptoms in obese men and women. Predictor variables included depression, dietary re straint, self-esteem weight cycling, history of teasing, body dissatisfacti on, and neuroticism. Method: Participants (N = 808) completed a packet of s elf-report questionnaires. Results: Weight cycling, teasing about weight an d shape, body dissatisfaction, negative affect, and dietary restraint compr ised the best fitting models (original and cross-validation) for binge eati ng in women and men. These variables explained 61-72% of the variance in sy mptoms of binge eating in the samples of men and 70% of the variance in the samples of women. Although the male and female models were mostly similar, notable differences between them were found. Discussion: The variables tha t comprise these etiological models should be considered in the development of prevention programs for obese binge eaters. Longitudinal studies, howev er, are needed to examine these etiological paths and to test for causal re lationships. (C) 2001 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.