Abstract
BACKGROUND: Binge eating disorder (BED) is a complex and multifaceted eating disorder, and the literature indicates that BED patients show greater difficulty in identifying and making sense of emotional states, and that they have limited access to emotion regulation strategies. Findings show many links between mindfulness and emotional regulation, however there has been no previous research on mindfulness traits in BED patients. METHOD: One hundred fifty BED patients (N=150: women=98, men=52; age 49.3±4.1) were matched for gender, age, marital status and educational level with 150 non-bingeing obese and 150 normal-weight subjects. All were assessed with the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), Binge Eating Scale (BES), Objective bulimic episodes (EDE-OBEs) and Body Uneasiness Test (BUT). For all the participants past or current meditation experience was an exclusion criteria. RESULTS: Findings showed that Mindfulness-global, Non reactivity to experience, Acting with awareness, Describing with words and Observation of experience scores were significantly lower in BED than control groups (p<0.05). However, on the mindfulness measures, the obese control group did not differ from the normal weight control group. Moreover, correlations showed that mindfulness was more widely negatively correlated with the BED’s OBEs, BES and BUT-GSI scores. Meanwhile, binge eating behaviours, frequency and severity (OBEs and BES) were more negatively correlated with action (Nonreactivity- to-experience and Acting-with-awareness scores). Body Uneasiness was more negatively correlated with mental processes (Describing-with-words and Observation-ofexperience) and mindfulness features. CONCLUSION: Implications on understanding of the mechanisms underlying the development and maintenance of problematic eating in BED were considered. Moreover, clinical considerations on treatment targets of mindfulnessbased eating awareness training were discussed.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Nevonen L, Broberg A, Lindstrom M, et al. A sequenced group psychotherapy model for bulimia nervosa patients: a pilot study. Eur Eat Disord Rev 1999; 7: 17–27.
Stunkard AJ. Eating patterns and obesity. Psychiatr Quarterly 1959; 33: 284–95.
American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th ed. Washington, DC, APA, 1994.
Wonderlich SA, Gordon KH, Mitchell JE, et al. The validity and clinical utility of binge eating disorder. Int J Eat Disord 2009; 42: 687–705.
Wilson GT, Grilo CM, Vitousek KM. Psychological treatment of eating disorders. Am Psychol 2007; 62: 199–216.
Wilfley DE, Welch RR, Stein RI, et al. A randomized comparison of group cognitive-behavioral therapy and group interpersonal psychotherapy for the treatment of overweight individuals with binge-eating disorder. Arch Gen Psychiatry 2002; 59: 713–21.
de Zwaan M. Binge eating disorder and obesity. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 2001; 25 (Suppl 1): S51–5.
Dalle Grave R, Calugi S, Molinari E, et al. Weight loss expectations in obese patients and treatment attrition: an observational multicenter study. Obes Res 2005; 13: 1961–9.
Grossi E, Dalle Grave R, Mannucci E, et al. Complexity of attrition in the treatment of obesity: clues from a structured telephone interview. Int J Obes (Lond) 2006; 30: 1132–7.
Petroni ML, Villanova N, Avagnina S, et al. Psychological distress in morbid obesity in relation to weight history. Obes Surg 2007; 17: 391–9.
Whiteside U, Chen E, Neighbors C, et al. Difficulties regulating emotions: Do binge eaters have fewer strategies to modulate and tolerate negative affect? Eat Behav 2007; 8: 162–9.
Gearhardt AN, White MA, Potenza MN. Binge eating disorder and food addiction. Curr Drug Abuse Rev 2011; 4: 201–7.
Cassin SE, von Ranson KM. Is binge eating experienced as an addiction? Appetite 2007; 49: 687–90.
Benjamin L, Wulfert E. Dispositional correlates of addictive behaviors in college women: binge eating and heavy drinking. Eat Behav 2005; 6: 197–209.
Munsch S, Meyer AH, Quartier V, et al. Binge eating in binge eating disorder: a breakdown of emotion regulatory process? Psychiatry Res 2012; 195: 118–24.
Clyne C, Latner JD, Gleaves DH, et al. Treatment of emotional dysregulation in full syndrome and subthreshold binge eating disorder. Eat Disord 2010; 18: 408–24.
Kristeller JL, Wolever RQ. Mindfulness-based eating awareness training for treating binge eating disorder: the conceptual foundation. Eat Disord 2011; 19: 49–61.
Kabat-Zinn J. Mindfulness meditation for everyday life. New York, Hyperion, 1994.
Wallace BA, Shapiro SL. Mental balance and wellbeing: building bridges between Buddhism and Western psychology. Am Psychol 2006; 61: 690–701.
Baer RA, Smith GT, Hopkins J, et al. Using self-report assessment methods to explore facets of mindfulness. Assessment 2006; 13: 27–45.
Anicha CL, Ode S, Moeller SK, et al. Toward a cognitive view of trait mindfulness: distinct cognitive skills predict its observing and nonreactivity facets. J Pers 2012; 80: 255–85.
Chiesa A, Serretti A. A systematic review of neurobiological and clinical features of mindfulness meditations. Psychol Med 2010; 40: 1239–52.
Chambers R, Gullone E, Allen NB. Mindful emotion regulation: An integrative review. Clin Psychol Rev 2009; 29: 560–72.
Hill CL, Updegraff JA. Mindfulness and its relationship to emotional regulation. Emotion 2012; 12: 81–90.
Arch JJ, Craske MG. Mechanisms of mindfulness: emotion regulation following a focused breathing induction. Behav Res Ther 2006; 44: 1849–58.
Grossman P, Niemann L, Schmidt S, et al. Mindfulness-based stress reduction and health benefits. A meta-analysis. J Psychosom Res 2004; 57: 35–43.
Hoppes K. The application of mindfulness-based cognitive interventions in the treatment of co-occurring addictive and mood disorders. CNS Spectrum 2006; 11: 829–51.
Hsu SH, Grow J, Marlatt GA. Mindfulness and addiction. Recent Dev Alcohol 2008; 18: 229–50.
Bowen S, Chawla N, Collins SE, et al. Mindfulnessbased relapse prevention for substance use disorders: a pilot efficacy trial. Substance Abuse 2009; 30: 295–305.
Courbasson CM, Nishikawa Y, Shapira LB. Mindfulness-action based cognitive behavioral therapy for concurrent binge eating disorder and substance use disorders. Eat Disord 2011; 19: 17–33.
Tapper K, Shaw C, Ilsley J, et al. Exploratory randomised controlled trial of a mindfulness-based weight loss intervention for women. Appetite 2009; 52: 396–404.
Dalen J, Smith BW, Shelley BM, et al. Pilot study: Mindful Eating and Living (MEAL): weight, eating behavior, and psychological outcomes associated with a mindfulness-based intervention for people with obesity. Compl Ther Med 2010; 18: 260–4.
Lavender JM, Gratz KL, Tull MT. Exploring the relationship between facets of mindfulness and eating pathology in women. Cogn Behav Ther 2011; 40: 174–82.
Obesity: Preventing and Managing the Global Epidemic. Geneva, World Health Organization, 2000.
Baer RA, Smith GT, Lykins E, et al. Construct validity of the five facet mindfulness questionnaire in meditating and nonmeditating samples. Assessment 2008; 15: 329–42.
Gormally J, Block S, Daston S, et al. The assessment of binge eating severity among obese persons. Addict Behav 1982; 7: 47–55.
Greeno CG, Marcus MD, Wing RR. Diagnosis of binge eating disorder: discrepancies between a questionnaire and clinical interview. Int J Eat Disord 1995; 17: 153–60.
Fairburn CG, Beglin SJ. Assessment of eating disorders: interview or self-report questionnaire? Int J Eat Disord 1994; 16: 363–70.
Reas DL, Grilo CM, Masheb RM. Reliability of the Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire in patients with binge eating disorder. Behav Res Ther 2006; 44: 43–51.
Grilo CM, Masheb RM, Wilson GT. Different methods for assessing the features of eating disorders in patients with binge eating disorder: a replication. Obes Res 2001; 9: 418–22.
Grilo CM, Masheb RM, Wilson GT. A comparison of different methods for assessing the features of eating disorders in patients with binge eating disorder. J Consult Clin Psychol 2001; 69: 317–22.
Mond JM, Hay PJ, Rodgers B, et al. Temporal stability of the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire. Int J Eat Disord 2004; 36: 195–203.
Cuzzolaro M, Vetrone G, Marano G, et al. The Body Uneasiness Test (BUT): development and validation of a new body image assessment scale. Eat Weight Disord 2006; 11: 1–13.
Marano G, Cuzzolaro M, Vetrone G, et al; and the QUOVADIS Study Group: Further validation study of the Body Uneasiness Test (BUT) in a clinical sample of 1922 adult obese subjects. Eat Weight Disord 2007; 12: 70–82.
First M, Spitzer R, Gibbon M, et al. Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders-Patient Edition (SCID-I/P, Version 2.0). New York, New York State Psychiatric Institute, Biometrics Research Department, 1996.
Fairburn C, Cooper Z. The Eating Disorder Examination. In: Fairburn C, Wilson G (Eds) Binge Eating: Nature, Assessment, and Treatment, 12th ed. New York, Guilford Press, 1993, pp. 317–60.
Goldfield GS, Adamo KB, Rutherford J, et al. Stress and the relative reinforcing value of food in female binge eaters. Physiol Behav 2008; 93: 579–87.
Sysko R, Devlin MJ, Walsh BT, et al. Satiety and test meal intake among women with binge eating disorder. Int J Eat Disord 2007; 40: 554–61.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Compare, A., Callus, E. & Grossi, E. Mindfulness trait, eating behaviours and body uneasiness: A case-control study of binge eating disorder. Eat Weight Disord 17, e244–e251 (2012). https://doi.org/10.3275/8652
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3275/8652