http://ppcorn.com/us/2016/02/27/binge-eating-disorder-15-things-you-didnt-know-part-2/
Binge eating refers to the consumption of large amounts of food in a shortened time frame. It has previously been associated with a host of negative outcomes, such as weight gain, smoking, and decreased well-being. Binge eating is also commonly seen in those exhibiting perfectionist behaviors and mindset. What is less clear, however, is which comes first. Is it the perfectionism that is causing someone to binge eat, or is the binge eating inducing the perfectionism? Or, perhaps, the relationship cyclical. The January 2017 edition of Eating Behaviors included a recent study conducted by Smith et al. that examined this question. As this is, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, the first study to explore the direction of this relationship, they were unsure of what they would find.
Researchers sampled 200 female undergraduate students, as binge eating is prominent (about 32%) in this population. Perfectionism was measured using multiple questionnaires. Items included, “My family expects me to be perfect,” and “The fewer mistakes I make, the more people will like me.” Participants indicated how strongly they agreed with the statements using a Likert-scale. To assess binge eating behaviors, a compilation of previously validated eating disorder assessment scales, including Bulimia Test-Revised binge eating subscale, Eating Disorder Inventory Bulimia Scale, and Eating Disorder Diagnostic Scale, were used. Questionnaires were administered in four waves over four weeks. At the end of data collection, 95.5% of participants completed all four waves.
Results indicated that perfectionist qualities stayed stable across all time points. Similarly, binge eating remained moderately-to-strongly stable for the duration of the study. Furthermore, the data suggests that pre-existing perfectionist concerns are an antecedent to binge eating, meaning that perfectionism predicted binge eating behaviors. Conversely, there was no evidence to support that binge eating behaviors would predict future perfectionism, nor did they find a cyclical relationship between the two constructs.
The authors note that there is room for further exploration and verification with these results. Four weeks is a relatively small snapshot of time, especially for such stable constructs. Examining a longer time period and a greater amount of time between waves of testing would help to create a more complete picture. It would also be interesting to see if these results hold across other demographics, including age and gender.
This knowledge can certainly be applied clinically to inform how healthcare professionals go about treating patients with binge eating disorders. As is the case with many eating disorders, the cause of the behavior may have little to nothing to do with food. Taking into consideration outside pressures and concerns may broaden the capacity of the counselor to meet the needs of their patients.
Source:
Smith, M. M., Sherry, S. B., Gautreau, C. M., Stewart, S. H., Saklofske, D. H., & Mushquash, A. R. (2017). Are perfectionistic concerns an antecedent of or a consequence of binge eating, or both? A short-term four-wave longitudinal study of undergraduate women. Eating Behaviors.