Binge antecedents and consequences in bulimic syndromes : an examination of the roles of dietary restraint, affect and dissociation

• Main Author: Engelberg, Marla J.
• Other Authors: Steiger, Howard (advisor)
• Format: Others
• Language: en
• Published: McGill University 2003
• Subjects: Bulimia > Psychological aspects.
• Online Access: http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=84241

This thesis explored possible underlying processes of bulimic behaviours by conducting a naturalistic examination into binge antecedents and consequences. Main hypotheses were derived from contemporary theories of binge-eating behaviour, which postulate that dietary restraint, negative affect, and dissociative phenomena (i.e., lapses in self-awareness) may precipitate and maintain bulimic symptoms. A secondary aspect of this study was to determine whether or not personality variations influence individuals' sensitivity to processes that may precipitate binge eating or that may shape binge consequences. A sample of 39 women with bulimia-spectrum eating disorders provided "on line" self-reports on eating episodes, urge to binge, behavioural and cognitive dietary restraint, negative and positive affect, and dissociation, with samplings obtained in response to random prompts, and before and after every eating episode. Across participants, recording with the daily diaries spanned 7- to 29-day intervals and resulted in a total of 3,204 recordings. Multilevel modelling analyses indicated that increases in behavioural dietary restraint preceded stronger urges to binge. Affect was also poor prior to actual binge episodes and seemed to worsen after bingeing. In addition, dissociation was likely to be present prior to and after bingeing. These results suggest that processes linked to dietary restraint, affect, and dissociation potentiate, trigger, and/or maintain bulimic behaviours. In contrast, the results did not consistently support the role of personality traits as moderators of binge antecedents or consequences. The present findings suggest that binge eating is a multiply determined behaviour that is linked to diverse cognitive, behavioural, and affective processes. Recommendations for future research and clinical implications are discussed.