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Binge eating disorder (BED) and bulimia nervosa (BN) are characterized by recurrent binge eating, episodes of consuming large amounts of food in a discrete period of time associated with a loss of control. Implementation intentions are explicit if-then plans that engender goal-directed action, and rely less on cognitive control than standard treatment options. In a sample with BED and BN, we compared two implementation intention conditions to a control condition. In the behavior-focused condition, implementation intentions targeted binge eating behaviors. In the emotion-focused condition, implementation intentions targeted negative affect preceding binge eating. In the control condition, only goal intentions were set. Each condition comprised three sessions. Participants kept food diaries for four weeks. Compared to the control condition both implementation intention conditions showed significant and large reductions of binge eating that persisted for six months. Effects did not differ between the behavior-focused and emotion-focused implementation intention conditions. These results demonstrate that three sessions on implementation intention formation can lead to long-term reductions in binge eating in patients with BED or BN. Learning how to form implementation intentions seems a recommendable addition to the current standard treatment. Future research could investigate the added value of fully personalized implementation intentions. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NL52600.068.15., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Binge-eating disorder (BED) and bulimia nervosa (BN) are characterised by binge eating. Changing unwanted behaviour is difficult, as intentions do not automatically lead to action. Implementation intentions (IIs) may help bridging the gap between intentions and behaviour. IIs are 'if-then' plans promoting goal attainment. Effects are moderated by degree of plan formation. Using mental imagery (MI) to impress IIs may strengthen plan formation and goal attainment., Method: In a students' sample with subjective binge eating, we compared IIs without MI, IIs with MI, and a control condition regarding their ability to reduce binge eating. Participants received three II-sessions and kept food diaries for 4 weeks., Results: Results showed a significant and medium to large reduction of binge eating in both II-conditions compared to the control condition, that was sustained for 6 months. No additional effects of MI were found., Conclusions: Applying IIs results in long-lasting reductions in subjective binge eating. The absence of additional effects of MI may be due to floor effects. Also, participants in the IIs without MI condition may have applied MI without being instructed to do so. In future research, ideally with a clinical sample, it is recommended to prevent or control for this., (© 2023 The Authors. European Eating Disorders Review published by Eating Disorders Association and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Binge eating disorder (BED) and bulimia nervosa (BN) are characterized by binge eating. Frequently related to negative affect, binge eating is considered unwanted eating behavior. It is often preceded by a shift away from the goal of a healthy eating pattern. Implementation intentions are 'if-then' plans that may prevent such shifts in goals. In a students' sample with subthreshold binge eating, two implementation intention conditions were compared to a control condition in which only goals were formed. In the behavior-focused condition, implementation intentions targeted binge eating; in the emotion-focused condition, implementation intentions targeted negative affect preceding binge eating. All participants received three sessions and kept food diaries for four weeks, followed by a post-test and a one-month, three-months, and six-months follow-up. Compared to the control condition, both implementation intention conditions showed significant and large reductions in binge eating lasting for six months. Effects did not differ between both implementation intention conditions. Three implementation intention sessions reduced subthreshold binge eating. This continued for six months after the final session. Contrary to expectations, behavior-focused and emotion-focused implementation intentions were equally effective, possibly due to other triggers than negative affect. Future research should address their usefulness in BED and BN.

Objective: To evaluate whether the results of a quasi-randomized study, comparing dialectical behavior therapy for binge-eating disorder (DBT-BED) and an intensive, outpatient cognitive behavior therapy (CBT+) in individuals with BED, would be replicated in a nonrandomized study with patients who more closely resemble everyday clinical practice., Method: Patients with (subthreshold) BED (N = 175) started one of two group treatments: DBT-BED (n = 42) or CBT+ (n = 133), at a community eating disorder service. Measures of eating disorder pathology, emotion regulation, and general psychopathology were examined at end of treatment (EOT) and at 6-month follow-up using generalized linear models with multiple imputation., Results: Both treatments lead to substantial decreases on primary and secondary measures. Statistically significant, medium-size differences between groups were limited to global eating disorder psychopathology (d = -.62; 95% CI = .231, .949) at EOT and depressive symptoms at follow-up (d = -.45; 95% CI = .149, 6.965), favoring CBT+. Dropout of treatment included 15.0% from CBT+ and 19.0% from DBT-BED (difference nonsignificant)., Discussion: Decreases in global eating disorder psychopathology were achieved faster with CBT+. Overall, improvements in DBT-BED were comparable to those observed in CBT+. Findings of the original trial, favoring CBT+ on the number of OBE episodes, emotional dysregulation and self-esteem at EOT, and on eating disorder psychopathology and self-esteem at follow-up, were not replicated. With similar rates of treatment dropout and about half of the therapy time used in CBT+, DBT-BED can be considered a relevant treatment for BED in everyday clinical practice., Public Significance: In this effectiveness study, dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) resulted in clinically relevant improvements in individuals with binge eating disorder. Changes were broadly comparable to those of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), the current treatment of choice. Although CBT resulted in decreases in eating disorder psychopathology faster, there was a trend toward relapse in CBT at 6-month follow-up. Therefore, the less costly DBT-program can be considered a relevant treatment in clinical practice., (© 2022 The Authors. International Journal of Eating Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Objective: One of the prevailing theories of eating disorders (ED) is the transdiagnostic cognitive behavioural theory of eating disorders, which suggests that certain ED symptoms, such as over-valuation of eating, shape, and weight, may be more central than others. In the present study, network analyses were used to evaluate these assumptions in a patient sample., Methods: Participants were 336 individuals receiving treatment at an expert center for ED in the Netherlands. Eating disorder symptoms were used to create transdiagnostic and diagnosis-specific networks and assess symptom centrality and density of the networks., Results: Networks for patients with bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder confirmed that over-valuation of shape, weight, and eating is the most central symptom in the network. A transdiagnostic network of ED symptoms and separate networks for patients with anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa showed that strict dieting was an additional central ED symptom. An exploratory analysis revealed that, although eating disorder symptoms decreased, there were no differences in density of the eating disorder networks before and after treatment with cognitive behavioural therapy., Discussion: In conclusion, the current study confirmed that over-valuation of shape, weight, and eating is a central symptom across eating disorders, in agreement with the transdiagnostic cognitive behavioural model of eating disorders. Specifically targeting this symptom in treatment could lead to other symptoms improving as a result., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Dropout rates in binge eating disorder (BED) treatment are high (17-30%), and predictors of dropout are unknown., Method: Participants were 376 patients following an intensive outpatient cognitive behavioural therapy programme for BED, 82 of whom (21.8%) dropped out of treatment. An exploratory logistic regression was performed using eating disorder variables, general psychopathology, personality and demographics to identify predictors of dropout., Results: Binge eating pathology, preoccupations with eating, shape and weight, social adjustment, agreeableness, and social embedding appeared to be significant predictors of dropout. Also, education showed an association to dropout., Discussion: This is one of the first studies investigating pre-treatment predictors for dropout in BED treatment. The total explained variance of the prediction model was low, yet the model correctly classified 80.6% of cases, which is comparable to other dropout studies in eating disorders. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association., (Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.)

The aim of this naturalistic study was to identify pretreatment predictors of response to cognitive behaviour therapy in treatment-seeking patients with binge eating disorder (BED; N = 304). Furthermore, we examined end-of-treatment factors that predict treatment outcome 6 months later (N = 190). We assessed eating disorder psychopathology, general psychopathology, personality characteristics and demographic variables using self-report questionnaires. Treatment outcome was measured using the bulimia subscale of the Eating Disorder Inventory 1. Predictors were determined using hierarchical linear regression analyses. Several variables significantly predicted outcome, four of which were found to be both baseline predictors of treatment outcome and end-of-treatment predictors of follow-up: Higher levels of drive for thinness, higher levels of interoceptive awareness, lower levels of binge eating pathology and, in women, lower levels of body dissatisfaction predicted better outcome in the short and longer term. Based on these results, several suggestions are made to improve treatment outcome for BED patients., (Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.)