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Hedonic hunger and binge eating among women with eating disorders
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Hedonic hunger and binge eating among women with eating disorders

Ashley A Witt and Michael R Lowe
The International journal of eating disorders, v 47(3)
Apr 2014
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.22171
PMID: 24014479
Featured in Collection :   UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel

Abstract

Bulimia Nervosa - diagnosis Obesity - psychology Humans Hunger - classification Social Environment Bulimia Nervosa - psychology Binge-Eating Disorder - diagnosis Young Adult Students - psychology Binge-Eating Disorder - psychology Residential Treatment Female Surveys and Questionnaires Anorexia Nervosa - psychology Anorexia Nervosa - epidemiology Students - statistics & numerical data Bulimia Nervosa - epidemiology Self Report Psychometrics Binge-Eating Disorder - epidemiology Power (Psychology) Anorexia Nervosa - therapy Analysis of Variance Internal-External Control Feeding Behavior - psychology
Hedonic hunger, the appetitive drive to eat to obtain pleasure in the absence of an energy deficit, is associated with overeating and with loss of control over eating, but has not been investigated among individuals with eating disorders. (1) to compare participants with anorexia nervosa, restricting type (AN-R), anorexia nervosa, binge-purge type (AN-B/P), and bulimia nervosa (BN) on scores on the Power of Food Scale (PFS), a self-report measure of hedonic hunger; (2) to examine the relation between PFS scores and frequency of binge eating; and (3) to examine whether pre-treatment PFS scores predict weight change during treatment. The PFS and measures of eating disorder symptomatology were administered to female patients with AN (N = 119) and BN (N = 144) at admission to residential treatment. Participants with BN scored higher on the PFS compared to participants with AN-R or AN-B/P; there was a trend for those with AN-B/P to score higher than those with AN-R. PFS scores were positively associated with binge eating frequency among participants with BN; these associations remained significant when controlling for restraint and weight suppression. A similar pattern was found among participants with AN. PFS scores predicted weight change in AN but not BN. Results suggest that hedonic processes may be important in stimulating binge eating. Furthermore, hedonic appetite may facilitate weight restoration in AN. Further research should investigate whether pre-treatment PFS scores have prognostic significance with respect to eating disorder symptoms.

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69 citations in Web of Science
70 citations in Scopus

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UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This publication has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:

#3 Good Health and Well-Being
#5 Gender Equality

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Web of Science research areas
Nutrition & Dietetics
Psychiatry
Psychology
Psychology, Clinical
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