title: Behavioral evidence of emotion dysregulation in binge eaters.
abstract: Binge eating is the most common disordered eating symptom and can lead to the development of obesity. Previous self-report research has supported the hypothesis that individuals who binge eat report greater levels of general emotion dysregulation, which may facilitate binge-eating behavior. However, to date, no study has experimentally tested the relation between binge eating history and in-vivo emotion dysregulation. To do this, a sample of female college students who either endorsed binge eating (n = 40) or denied the presence of any eating pathology (n = 47) completed the Difficulties with Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) and a behavioral distress tolerance task (the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Task-Computer: PASAT-C) known to induce negative affect and distress. The binge eating group was 2.96 times more likely to quit the PASAT-C early (χ2= 5.04, p = 0.025) and reported greater irritability (F(1,84) = 7.09 p = 0.009) and frustration (F(1,84) = 5.00, p = 0.028) after completing the PASAT-C than controls, controlling for initial levels of these emotions. Furthermore, across the entire sample, quitting early was associated with greater emotion dysregulation on the DERS (rpb= 0.342, p < 0.01). This study is the first to demonstrate that individuals who binge eat show in-vivo emotional dysregulation on a laboratory task. Future studies should examine the PASAT-C to determine its potential clinical utility for individuals with or at risk of developing binge eating.
authors.affiliation: Temple University, Department of Psychology, 1701 N. 13th St., Philadelphia, PA 19122, United States.
authors.forename: Dawn M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Eichen
authors.affiliation: Temple University, Department of Psychology, 1701 N. 13th St., Philadelphia, PA 19122, United States.
authors.forename: Eunice
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: University of California, San Diego Department of Pediatrics, 9500 Gilman Drive, MC #0874, La Jolla, CA 92093, United States.
authors.forename: Kerri N
authors.initials: KN
authors.lastname: Boutelle
authors.affiliation: Temple University, Department of Psychology, 1701 N. 13th St., Philadelphia, PA 19122, United States.
authors.forename: Michael S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: McCloskey
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002032:Bulimia / Q000523:psychology*; D004435:Eating / Q000523:psychology*; D004644:Emotions; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Affect regulation; Binge eating; Distress tolerance; Emotion regulation; Frustration tolerance; PASAT