Kernmerkmal der Binge-Eating-Störung (BES) sind wiederkehrende Essanfälle ohne einen regelmäßigen Einsatz von unangemessenen kompensatorischen Verhaltensweisen zur Vorbeugung einer Gewichtszunahme. Bei Essanfällen nehmen die Betroffenen große Nahrungsmengen zu sich und erleben einen Kontrollverlust über das eigene Essverhalten (Diagnostisches und Statistisches Manual Psychischer Störungen, DSM-5; American Psychiatric Association APA 2015). Die BES ist die häufigste Essstörung und geht in der Regel mit psychischer Komorbidität, reduzierter Lebensqualität, Übergewicht und Adipositas sowie deren Folgeerkrankungen einher. Darüber hinaus berichten Betroffene mit BES häufig von substantiellen Beziehungsproblemen, darunter dysfunktionaler Kommunikation und Unzufriedenheit in der Paarbeziehung, die zu Essanfällen beitragen (Whisman et al. 2012; Ansell et al. 2012). Jedoch bleibt weitgehend unklar, wie diese Beziehungsprobleme behandelt werden können (Cierpka et al. 2007). Die kognitive Verhaltenstherapie gilt laut evidenzbasierten Behandlungsleitlinien als die am besten belegte Therapie der BES (Arbeitsgemeinschaft der wissenschaftlich-medizinischen Fachgesellschaften, im Druck). Bislang brachte die Erweiterung dieses Ansatzes durch den Einbezug des Partners in die kognitiv-behaviorale Gruppentherapie keine zusätzlichen Vorteile (Gorin et al. 2003), möglicherweise da sie nicht speziell für Paare mit BES konzipiert wurde. Allgemein gilt die Wirksamkeit von kognitiv-verhaltenstherapeutischer Paartherapie zur Verbesserung der Beziehungsqualität von gesunden Paaren jedoch als bewiesen (Baucom et al. 2003). Weiterhin erwies sich die störungsspezifische kognitiv-behaviorale Paartherapie zur Behandlung psychischer Störungen, beispielsweise von Depression, als ebenso wirksam wie die evidenzbasierte Individualtherapie (Bodenmann et al. 2008). Aktuell zeigte auch die Anwendung paartherapeutischer Interventionen zur Behandlung von Anorexia Nervosa als wirksam (Baucom et al. 2017; Bulik et al. 2011; Kirby et al. 2015). Partnerschaftsprobleme werden auch für die Anorexia Nervosa als störungsaufrechterhaltend diskutiert (Teufel et al. 2017). Ziel dieser Fallstudie war es, ein störungsspezifisches Manual für kognitive Verhaltenstherapie für Paare mit BES zu entwickeln und zu erproben, und zwar an einem Paar, bei dem beide Partner von BES betroffen waren.

Eating disorders (ED) are maladaptive eating patterns that can have social, biological, health, and occupational consequences. The purpose of this study was to explore and compare binge eating episodes, locus of control, and body dissatisfaction between African-American men (n = 66; 53.70%) and Caucasian-American men (n = 57; 46.30%). There is a current gap in the existing literature regarding the study of men who BE and a sampling bias with regard to ethnic minorities. Based on Bandura's social learning theory model and Rotter's locus of control, the purpose of this research was to determine and compare the relationship between BE, locus of control, and body dissatisfaction among African-American and Caucasian-American men. The participants answered a demographic questionnaire, Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26), Internality, Powerful Others and Chance Scale (IPC), and Body Satisfaction Questionnaire (BSQ). A quantitative research design was used and the chi-square was performed to evaluate the variables of the research questions. The sample population came from the Walden University participants pool and men who are self-described binge eaters from the African-American and Caucasian-American ethnicity in the community. Key results showed that African- American men believed they had less power in their lives, lower levels of body dissatisfaction, and increased feelings of chance in their lives. Recommendations for further research can be to replicate this study using other ethnicities. Implications for social change can include increased knowledge of men that BE which can improve their overall health and quality of life while reducing medical costs.

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To provide a basis for electroencephalography (EEG) neurofeedback protocols for bulimianervosa (BN), binge-eating disorder (BED), and obesity, this systematic review investigates alterations in EEG-measured brain activity, specifically frequency bands. A systematic literature search with pre-defined search terms yielded N = 7 studies meeting the inclusion criteria. The risk of bias was assessed for all studies. In resting-state EEG, the beta activity was elevated in fronto-central regions in individuals with obesity and comorbid BED. In food-cue conditions, both obese individuals with and without BED showed increased beta activity, suggesting increased awareness of food cues and a heightened attentional focus towards food stimuli. The level of beta activity was positively correlated with eating disorder psychopathology in resting and food-cue conditions. In individuals with BN, there was no evidence for altered EEG spectral power. The results indicate specific alterations in EEGbased brain activity in individuals with BED and obesity. More high-quality studies are needed to further confirm these findings and to transfer them into EEG-based interventions.

No description available.

The current study assessed the relationship between individuals' tendency to suppress thoughts, particularly related to food and body weight/shape, and outcomes such as weight loss maintenance and diet sabotaging experiences (e.g., binge eating). Community and university individuals (N = 347) who are or previously were overweight completed self-report measures of thought suppression, weight history, and eating behaviors. Suppression of specific thoughts about food/weight/shape was related to weight cycling, binge eating, and food cravings. Participants who believed thoughts of food lead to eating were more likely to attempt suppression of food-related thoughts. Results have implications for improving weight loss maintenance and support further exploration of third wave interventions, such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Mindfulness, in the treatment of obesity.

No description available.

No description available.

Although evidence demonstrated efficacy of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) in adolescents with binge-eating disorder (BED), treatment response is heterogeneous. This study uniquely examined baseline predictors of symptom trajectories in N = 73 adolescents (12–20 years) with an age-adapted diagnosis of BED (i.e., based on objective and subjective binge-eating episodes). Based on evidence from adult BED, dietary restraint, overvaluation of weight/shape, and depressive symptoms were used to predict changes in abstinence from binge eating and eating disorder psychopathology after 4 months of individual, face-to-face CBT using growth models. Longitudinal trajectories of abstinence from objective and subjective binge eating and global eating disorder psychopathology assessed via the Eating Disorder Examination were modeled for five time points (pre- and posttreatment, 6-, 12-, and 24-month follow-up). Beyond significant, positive effects for time, no significant predictors for abstinence from binge eating emerged. In addition to significant decreases in eating disorder psychopathology over time, higher pretreatment dietary restraint and overvaluation of weight/shape significantly predicted greater decreases in eating disorder psychopathology over time. Consistent with research in adult BED, adolescents with higher than lower eating disorder-specific psychopathology especially benefit from CBT indicating that restrained eating and overvaluation of weight/shape may be BED-specific prognostic characteristic across developmental stages. Future predictor studies with an additional focus on potential age-specific predictors, such as family factors, and within-treatment processes may be critical in further evaluating treatment-related symptom trajectories in adolescent BED.

Many psychiatric disorders are characterized by difficulties in working towards long-term goals. Effort-based decision-making (EBDM) provides a useful framework for understanding this phenomenon, particularly for parsing motivation into various components, and exploring the underpinnings of cost-benefit computations. Importantly, large changes in arousal, like those introduced by strong emotions and stress, can significantly influence high-order cognitive processes. However, the mechanistic properties underlying associations between emotions and various components of EBDM remain unclear, particularly at psychological, neurological and endocrinological levels. The following experiments were designed to examine the effect of positive and negative emotions on various components of EBDM across psychiatric conditions characterized by motivational and impulse-related deficits. In the first experiment, comparing emotional versus behavioural inhibitory systems in binge eating disorder, inverse relationships between disgust sensitivity, inhibitory control and binge-eating behaviours were found, suggesting unique maintenance functions of cognitive-affective links with emotion regulation on eating attitudes. In the second experiment examining neural correlates of effort- and reward-processing in a cannabis using population, findings indicate fronto-striatal but also posterior cortical processing alterations during prospective signaling of effort and reward signals and during effort-reward information integration. In the final experiment assessing the effects of childhood trauma on acute stress responses and gambling urges in a population of problem gamblers, increased reports of childhood trauma were noted relative to a healthy control group. Childhood trauma subsequently predicted subjective and physiological stress responses, and emotional and physical neglect in childhood was further linked to increased gambling urges. Taken as a whole, these studies suggest that emotions plays a crucial role in moderating various components of EBDM, underscoring the significant impact of emotional states on higher-order cognitive functioning. / Dissertation / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)