title: The association among food addiction, binge eating severity and psychopathology in obese and overweight patients attending low-energy-diet therapy.
abstract: Several studies have shown that food addiction (FA) is strongly related with psychopathology. However, this relationship may be partly mediated by the presence and severity of binge eating. The aim of the current study was to assess the strength of the association between FA and psychopathology, and whether this relationship was mediated by the presence and severity of binge eating. Participants were 112 patients seeking weight loss interventions. All the participants were administered the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS), The Symptom Check list-90-R (SCL-90), and the Binge Eating Scale (BES). Thirty-eight (33.9%) individuals were diagnosed as having FA. FA severity was strongly associated with binge eating, whereas both FA and binge eating were positively and moderately associated with psychopathology. A mediational model analyzing direct and indirect (through the mediating role of binge eating) effects of FA on psychopathology indicated that the relation between FA and psychopathology was fully mediated by the severity of binge eating. This finding suggests that FA may contribute to the development of psychopathology through its effect on binge eating.
authors.affiliation: Università Europea di Roma, Rome, Italy. Electronic address: imperatori.c@libero.it.
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Imperatori
authors.affiliation: Università Europea di Roma, Rome, Italy; Istituto Skinner, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Innamorati
authors.affiliation: Università Europea di Roma, Rome, Italy; Istituto Skinner, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Contardi
authors.affiliation: Università Europea di Roma, Rome, Italy; Istituto Skinner, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Continisio
authors.affiliation: Università Europea di Roma, Rome, Italy; Istituto Skinner, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Stella
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tamburello
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA USA.
authors.forename: Dorian A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Lamis
authors.affiliation: Università Europea di Roma, Rome, Italy; Istituto Skinner, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonino
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tamburello
authors.affiliation: Università Europea di Roma, Rome, Italy; Istituto Skinner, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Mariantonietta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fabbricatore
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016739:Behavior, Addictive / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D056912:Binge-Eating Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D002032:Bulimia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D031204:Caloric Restriction; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000178:diet therapy / Q000523:psychology; D050177:Overweight / Q000178:diet therapy* / Q000523:psychology*; D011599:Psychopathology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index