BACKGROUND: Loss of control (LOC) over eating is a cardinal feature of the DSM-5 definition of binge eating (BE). While this behavior is frequently reported in college-age women, there is limited research on descriptions of loss of control from first-person accounts from individuals reporting LOC associated with BE. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to investigate descriptions of LOC associated with BE episodes in college-age women who reported recent BE behavior. STUDY DESIGN: A secondary analysis of previously collected qualitative data on BE behaviors in college students was conducted. Two hundred and twenty-one college-age women’s (age = 19.77 ± 1.03) comments regarding the experiences of LOC associated with BE episodes were analyzed using conventional content analysis. Codes were inductively generated allowing categories to emerge from the data codes. RESULTS: Three major overarching descriptive categories were identified: (1) LOC over eating, (2) feelings associated with the LOC, and (3) cognitive dispositions (thoughts) associated with LOC during a BE episode. DISCUSSION: The findings of this study expand the current literature on LOC over eating and provide a number of potential targets for intervention with college-age women who report BE behaviors.
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Association.
2.
BlomquistK. K.RobertoC. A.BarnesR. D.WhiteM. A.MashebR. M.GrilloC. M. (2014). Development and validation of the eating loss of control scale. Psychological Assessment, 26, 77-89. doi:10.1037/a0034729
3.
BoggianoM. M.BurgessE. E.TuranB.SoleymaniT.DanielS.VinsonL. D.. . . MoreseA. (2014). Motives for eating tasty foods associated with binge-eating. Results from a student and weight-loss seeking population. Appetite, 83, 160-166. doi:10.1016/j.appet.2014.08.026
4.
CollesS. L.DixonJ. B.O’BrienP. E. (2008). Loss of control is central to psychological disturbances associated with binge eating disorder. Obesity, 16, 608-614. doi:10.1038/oby.2007.99
5.
DaltonM.FinlaysonG. (2014). Psychobiological examination of liking and wanting for fat and sweet taste in trait binge eating females. Physiology & Behavior, 136, 128-134. doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2014.03.019
6.
EgeciogluE.SkibickaK. P.HanssonC.Alvarez-CrespoM.FribergP. A.JerlhagE.. . . DicksonS. L. (2011). Hedonic and incentive signals for body weight control. Reviews in Endocrine & Metabolic Disorders, 12, 141-151. doi:10.1007/s11154-011-9166-4
7.
Ello-MartinJ. A.LedikweJ. H.RollsB. J. (2005). The influence of food portion size and energy density on energy intake: implications for weight management. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 82, 236S-241S.
8.
GoossensL.SoenensB.BraetC. (2009). Prevalence and characteristics of binge eating in an adolescent community sample. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 38, 342-353. doi:10.1080/15374410902851697
9.
HeronK. E.ScottS. B.SliwinskiM. J.SmythJ. M. (2014). Eating behaviors and negative effect in college women’s everyday lives. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 47, 853-859. doi:10.1002/eat.22292
HsiehH.-F.ShannonS. E. (2005). Three approaches to qualitative content analysis. Qualitative Health Research, 15, 1277-1288. doi:10.1177/1049732305276687
12.
JohnsonW. G.SchlundtD. G.BarclayD. R.Carr-NangleR. E.EnglerL. B. (1995). A naturalistic functional analysis of binge eating. Behavior Therapy, 26, 101-118. doi:10.1016/S0005-7894(05)80085-1
13.
Kelly-WeederS.JenningsK. M.WolfeB. E. (2012). Gender differences in binge eating and behavioral correlates among college students. Eating and Weight Disorders, 17, e200-e202. doi:10.1007/BF03325348
14.
LatnerJ. D.ClyneC. (2008). The diagnostic validity of the criteria for binge eating disorder. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 41, 1-14. doi:10.1002/eat
15.
LatnerJ. D.MondJ. M.KellyM. C.HaynesS. N.HayP. J. (2014). The loss of control over eating scale: Development and psychometric evaluation. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 47, 647-659. doi:10.1002/eat.22296
16.
McManusF.WallerG. (1995). A functional analysis of binge eating. Clinical Psychology Review, 15, 845-863. doi:10.1016/0272-7358(95)00042-9
17.
McShaneJ. M.ZirkelS. (2008). Dissociation in the binge-purge cycle of bulimia nervosa. Journal of Trauma & Dissociation, 9, 463-479. doi:10.1080/15299730802225680
18.
MilesM. B.HubermanA. M.SaldanaJ. (2014). Qualitative data analysis: A methods sourcebook (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
19.
MitchellJ. E.KarrT. M.PeatC.WonderlichS. A.CrosbyR. D.EngelS.SimonichH. (2012). A fine-grained analysis of eating behavior in women with bulimia nervosa. International Journal Eating Disorders, 45, 400-406. doi:10.1002/eat.20961
20.
MorganC. M.YanovskiS. Z.NguyenT. T.McDuffieJ.SebringN. G.JorgeM. R.. . . YanovskiJ. A. (2002). Loss of control over eating, adiposity, and psychopathology in overweight children. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 31, 430-441. doi:10.1002/eat.10038
21.
NapolitanoM. A.HimesS. (2011). Race, weight, and correlates of binge eating in female college students. Eating Behaviors, 12, 29-36. doi:10.1016/j.eatbeh.2010.09.003
22.
SaulesK.CollingsA.HoodinF.AngelellaN.AlschulerK.IvezajV.. . . WeidemannA. (2008). The contributions of weight perception, BMI, gender, mood, and smoking status to binge eating among college students. Eating Behaviors, 10, 1-9. doi:10.1016/j.eatbeh.2008.07.010
23.
Streigel-MooreR.SilbersteinL.FrenchP.RodinJ. (1989). A prospective study of disordered eating among college students. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 8, 499-509. doi:10:1002/1098-108X(198909)8:5<499
24.
VannucciA.TheimK. R.KassA. E.TrockelM.GenkinB.RizkM.. . . TaylorC. B. (2013). What constitutes clinically significant binge eating? Association between binge features and clinical validators in college-age women. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 46, 226-232. doi:10.1002/eat.22115
25.
WolfeB. E.BakerC. W.Kelly-WeederS. (2009). Validity and utility of the current definition of binge eating. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 42, 674-686. doi:10.1002/eat.20728
26.
WynneK.StanleyS.McGowanB.BloomS. (2005). Appetite control. Journal of Endocrinology, 184, 291-318. doi:10.1677/joe.1.05866
