Development and preliminary effectiveness of an innovative treatment for binge eating in racially diverse adolescent girls.
Binge and loss of control (LOC) eating are significant concerns among many adolescents and are associated with poor physical, social, and psychological functioning. Black girls appear to be particularly vulnerable to binge and LOC eating. Yet, empirically validated, culturally sensitive treatments for these disordered eating behaviors are not well established. This investigation examined satisfaction, feasibility, and preliminary outcomes of a binge eating intervention for ethnically diverse adolescent girls.



Participants were 45 girls (age 13-17years; 44.4% white, 42.2% black) randomized into a dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)-based intervention (Linking Individuals Being Emotionally Real, LIBER8) or a weight management group (2BFit). Following each meeting, participants completed satisfaction measures, and therapists assessed intervention feasibility. Participants also completed assessments of eating behavior and related psychological constructs at baseline, immediately following the intervention, and at 3-month follow-up.



Descriptive statistics indicated that LIBER8 was feasible, and participants were highly satisfied with this intervention. Significant reductions in eating disorder cognitions, dietary restraint, and eating in response to negative affect were observed for participants in both groups, with no differences between LIBER8 and 2BFit.



The acceptability and feasibility of LIBER8 and associated reductions in emotional eating show promise in ameliorating binge eating and provide insight into multiple options for treating this challenging eating concern.
Department of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA. Electronic address: semazzeo@vcu.edu.
Suzanne E
SE
Mazzeo
Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
Janet
J
Lydecker
Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
Megan
M
Harney
Department of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA.
Allison A
AA
Palmberg
Department of Medical & Clinical Psychology, Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Nichole R
NR
Kelly
Department of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA.
Rachel W
RW
Gow
Department of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA.
Melanie K
MK
Bean
Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
Laura M
LM
Thornton
Department of Medical & Clinical Psychology, Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Marian
M
Tanofsky-Kraff
Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Department of Nutrition, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
Cynthia M
CM
Bulik
University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel.
Yael
Y
Latzer
University of South Florida, Department of Child and Family Studies, Tampa, FL, USA.
Marilyn
M
Stern
D000293:Adolescent; D001741:Black or African American; D001521:Behavior Therapy; D056912:Binge-Eating Disorder / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D004644:Emotions; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D044469:Racial Groups; D044465:White People
Adolescents; Binge eating; Dialectical behavior therapy; Intervention; Race