Childhood maltreatment in patients with binge eating disorder with and without night eating syndrome vs. control.

This study compared women with binge eating disorders or bulimia nervosa with and without night eating syndrome regarding childhood maltreatment and psychopathology relative to healthy controls. The 426 participants (aged 18-60) were divided into two groups: eating disorders (n = 158) and healthy controls (n = 268). Eating disorders was divided into bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, and night eating syndrome with binge eating. Participants completed questionnaires: childhood trauma, eating disorders, self-esteem, and psychopathology. No significant differences were found for most variables in the eating disorders subgroups except physical neglect, which was more prevalent in night eating syndrome with binge eating. All variables differed significantly between eating disorders and healthy controls. Significant correlations emerged between childhood maltreatment, psychopathology, emotional abuse, and self-esteem in eating disorders. Regression showed that emotional abuse significantly predicted self-esteem in eating disorders, and group significantly moderated the effect of emotional abuse on psychopathology. Results emphasize that in this specific sample and variables, night eating syndrome with binge eating may be a variant of binge eating disorder or bulimia nervosa and not a separate diagnostic entity. The results highlight the importance of early assessment of childhood maltreatment, particularly emotional abuse, in patients with night eating syndrome.

Dietary patterns of patients with binge eating disorders with and without night eating.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to compare dietary patterns (timing and frequency of binge episodes, caloric intake and macronutrient composition) of patients with binge eating disorders (BE) with and without night eating syndrome (NES). DESIGN: The study includes 59 women (18-60) who sought treatment for Eating Disorders (EDs) and were diagnosed with BED or BN (BE) with or without NES. They were divided into two groups: NES-BE and BE-only. The participants kept 7-day, 24-h food diaries and completed demographic and depression questionnaires. RESULTS: NES-BE reported significantly a higher frequency of binge days and binge episodes during the week, and more energy and fat consumption than BE-only. CONCLUSIONS: Individuals with NES-BE exhibit higher levels of eating pathology than individuals with BE-only. Thus, NES-BE may not be simply a variant of BED or BN but rather a separate entity that may lead to a more severe disorder and require early assessment and more intensive and suitable treatment. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level V, cross-sectional descriptive study.