System Maintenance Notice

Please note that maintenance work is scheduled between 4 AM and 5 AM - CET. During this time, you may experience reduced performance. Thanks for your patience.

Publications

Journal Article Ahead of print

PubMed: 42032450 DOI: 10.1002/eat.70114

Differences Among Purging Presentations at Admission to Treatment: Eating Disorder and General Psychopathology Symptoms.

Int J Eat Disord

Authors: Renee D Rienecke, Dan V Blalock, Alan Duffy, Timothy D Brewerton, Thomas Joiner, Jamie Manwaring, Philip S Mehler

Affiliations

  • Eating Recovery Center and Pathlight Mood & Anxiety Centers, Denver, Colorado, USA.
  • Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
  • Center of Innovation to Accelerate Discovery and Practice Transformation, Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA.
  • Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA.
  • Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA.
  • Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, USA.
  • School of Medicine, University of Colorado, Denver, Colorado, USA.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE

Few studies have examined differences in eating disorder (ED) and general psychopathology among those who self-induce vomiting only compared to those who misuse laxatives only and those who engage in both types of behaviors. The current study aimed to fill this gap in the literature.

METHOD

Participants were 1652 adults receiving treatment for an ED at a large multisite treatment facility in the United States between January 2021 and December 2024. Participants completed measures of ED psychopathology (Eating Disorders Examination-Questionnaire; EDE-Q), depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9; PHQ-9), anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7; GAD-7), and obsessive-compulsive symptoms (Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised; OCI-R) at admission.

RESULTS

Significant differences among groups were found on all EDE-Q subscales and the Global score, with the laxative only group and the group engaging in both behaviors scoring significantly higher than the vomiting only group. A similar pattern of results was found for the PHQ-9, while significant differences on the GAD-7 and OCI-R failed to remain significant after multiple comparison corrections.

DISCUSSION

It is possible that those who misuse laxatives, or engage in both laxative misuse and vomiting, may benefit from more intensive treatment than those who engage in self-induced vomiting only. These individuals may also need a different form of treatment if laxative misuse is conceptualized as an addiction.

MeSH

Patient Health Questionnaire, Psychopathology, Feeding And Eating Disorders, Eating, Laxatives, Signs And Symptoms, Vomiting, Therapeutics, Generalized Anxiety Disorder