title: Change in Attachment Dimensions in Women with Binge-Eating Disorder Following Group Psychodynamic Interpersonal Psychotherapy.
abstract: To examine the role of attachment dimensions, including coherence of mind and reflective functioning, in developing and maintaining binge-eating disorder (BED) and in determining group psychotherapy outcomes for women with BED. We hypothesize that higher pre-treatment attachment dimension scores will predict better treatment outcomes for women with BED and will increase at follow-up.
  
  
  
  Women with BED attended 16 sessions of group therapy and completed the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) at pre-treatment. Participants completed outcome measures (i.e., binge-eating frequency and symptoms of depression) at pre-, post-, six months, and 12 months post-treatment. Treatment completers completed the AAI at six months post-treatment.
  
  
  
  Treatment outcomes improved significantly from pre- to 12 months post-treatment. Greater Reflective Functioning scores at pre-treatment were related to greater decreases in binge eating across the four time points, whereas Coherence of Mind scores were not. For treatment completers, there were significant increases in Reflective Functioning at six months post-treatment, and about a third of treatment completers experienced clinically significant increases in both attachment dimensions at six months post-treatment.
  
  
  
  Greater reflective functioning at the outset is important for improvements in binge eating in the longer term and group psychotherapy can facilitate change in reflective functioning.
authors.affiliation: a School of Psychology , University of Ottawa , Ottawa , ON , Canada.
authors.forename: Hilary
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Maxwell
authors.affiliation: a School of Psychology , University of Ottawa , Ottawa , ON , Canada.|b Department of Psychology , The Ottawa Hospital , Ottawa , ON , Canada.
authors.forename: Giorgio A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Tasca
authors.affiliation: a School of Psychology , University of Ottawa , Ottawa , ON , Canada.
authors.forename: Renee
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Grenon
authors.affiliation: c Department of Psychology , Loyola University Maryland , , Baltimore , MD , USA.
authors.forename: Megan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Faye
authors.affiliation: a School of Psychology , University of Ottawa , Ottawa , ON , Canada.|b Department of Psychology , The Ottawa Hospital , Ottawa , ON , Canada.
authors.forename: Kerri
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ritchie
authors.affiliation: a School of Psychology , University of Ottawa , Ottawa , ON , Canada.|b Department of Psychology , The Ottawa Hospital , Ottawa , ON , Canada.
authors.forename: Hany
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bissada
authors.affiliation: a School of Psychology , University of Ottawa , Ottawa , ON , Canada.|b Department of Psychology , The Ottawa Hospital , Ottawa , ON , Canada.
authors.forename: Louise
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Balfour
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D056912:Binge-Eating Disorder / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009769:Object Attachment; D063868:Patient Outcome Assessment; D011615:Psychotherapy, Group / Q000379:methods*; D064889:Psychotherapy, Psychodynamic / Q000379:methods*
keywords: Attachment; Eating Disorders; Group Psychotherapy