Childhood maltreatment in patients with binge eating disorder with and without night eating syndrome vs. control. (November 2020) - Latzer, Yael
Highlights: Eating disorders group found to have higher psychopathology, higher childhood traumatic events, and higher childhood maltreatment as compared to a healthy control group. Self- esteem mediates the relationship between emotional abuse and disordered eating. Early assessment of night eating syndrome and childhood maltreatment in patients with eating disorders is important for special treatment. It is suggested that women with night eating syndrome may be a variant group of binge eating disorder. Abstract: 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.