Self-efficacy in overweight individuals with binge eating disorder

Objective: To evaluate the relationship between self-efficacy judgments in obese individuals with binge eating disorder, "borderline" binge eating disorder, and no binge eating problems. Research Methods and Procedures: Before participation in a residential weight management program, 79 male and female subjects were administered the Weight Efficacy Lifestyle Questionnaire (WEL) and the Binge Eating Scale (BES), Based on DSM-TV diagnostic questions, subjects were categorized as BED, Borderline BED, or non-BED. Results: Krusal-Wallace Rank-Order analysis of variance revealed significant negative associations between binge eating and total WEL scores as well as the subscales of Negative Emotions, Social Pressure, Physical Discomfort, and Positive Activities. Differences were significant between the BED and the Borderline BED groups with the exception of the Social Pressure scale and the Total WEL scores. BED diagnosis as well as severity of binge eating were strongly associated with low self-efficacy ratings. Discussion: These results indicate that obese individuals with binge eating disorder demonstrate lower self-efficacy than those without this condition and that self-efficacy is related to the severity of binge eating.