ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine whether objective and subjective binges differ significantly from each other in relation to measures of psychopathology in a sample of women who meet DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for bulimia nervosa. METHOD: Baseline data from the Eating Disorder Examination (EDE) were analyzed and the average of the sum of and the difference between objective and subjective binge episodes were converted to z scores. Regressions were run with other baseline measures including the Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnosis of DSM-III-R (SCID) I and II disorders, EDE subscales, and psychological measures. RESULTS: We found no significant difference between the two types of binges on all but one measure, the "Can Do" subscale of the Self-Efficacy Questionnaire, in a regression with the z score of total binges. DISCUSSION: The lack of significant findings questions the diagnostic validity of the "large amount of food" criterion used to define binge eating in the DSM-IV.
Subject(s)
Bulimia/psychology , Feeding Behavior/psychology , Adult , Female , Humans , Middle Aged , Personality InventoryABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to provide information regarding the criteria used by women with binge eating disorder (BED) to classify an eating episode a binge. METHOD: Sixty women who met DSM-IV research criteria for BED were interviewed and asked to define binge eating in their own words. Two independent raters classified subjects' responses according to a structured classification scheme. RESULTS: Loss of control over eating was the only criterion used to define binge eating by a majority (82%) of our subjects. Large amount of food and eating to relieve negative affect were reported less frequently, but appeared to be important criteria. DISCUSSION: The findings from this study are important to consider in an evaluation of the proposed DSM-IV research criteria for BED.
Subject(s)
Bulimia/psychology , Obesity/psychology , Adult , Bulimia/complications , Feeding Behavior/psychology , Female , Humans , Obesity/complicationsABSTRACT
This article presents the Prevention Minimum Evaluation Data Set (PMEDS), a ready-to-use questionnaire or tool for evaluating teen pregnancy prevention and teen STD/HIV/AIDS prevention programs. Recognizing the diversity of approaches taken by these programs, PMEDS has two parts. Part 1 contains a primary questionnaire applicable to all programs. Part 2 consists of 15 additional supplementary modules for optional use by programs with a more specific target population or intervention approach that matches the module's content. It is hoped that PMEDS will facilitate the conducting of high-quality evaluations, first by highlighting important aspects of a program model that should be included in an evaluation, such as the demographic profile of the target population, the specific aspects of the intervention or treatment received by each participant, and the short-term outcomes and long-term goals that the program is trying to affect; second, by presenting measures for these evaluation constructs that have been extensively pretested and used in large-scale national studies and for which national comparison norms and data exist.
Subject(s)
Data Collection/methods , HIV Infections/prevention & control , Pregnancy in Adolescence , Primary Prevention/organization & administration , Program Evaluation/methods , Sexually Transmitted Diseases/prevention & control , Surveys and Questionnaires/standards , Adolescent , Female , Humans , Pregnancy , Reproducibility of Results , United StatesABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine the validity of the distinction between objective and subjective binge episodes. METHOD: Data were analyzed from 101 women who received 12 weeks of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for binge eating in a previous treatment study. Binges recorded by participants on daily food records were rated as either subjective or objective according to the Eating Disorder Examination rating guidelines. Unpaired t tests were performed to determine the relationship between type of binge, psychopathology, and other descriptive measures, including response to treatment. RESULTS: These analyses revealed no significant differences between types of binge episodes. Of note is the observation that objective binge episodes appeared to decrease more rapidly than subjective episodes during treatment. DISCUSSION: Future research should continue to investigate whether "large amount of food" is an appropriate criterion for the diagnosis of binge eating.
Subject(s)
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy , Feeding Behavior/psychology , Feeding and Eating Disorders/diagnosis , Psychometrics , Adult , Diet Records , Feeding and Eating Disorders/therapy , Female , Humans , Middle Aged , Psychological Tests , Reproducibility of Results , Self-AssessmentABSTRACT
The Program Archive on Sexuality, Health & Adolescence (PASHA) identifies programs aimed at preventing pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases among teenagers, and makes materials from interventions with demonstrated effectiveness available to practitioners around the country. With the assistance of a panel of experts, PASHA has identified an initial group of 15 pregnancy prevention and 15 sexually transmitted disease prevention programs for inclusion in its collection; to date, 24 programs have accepted PASHA's invitation to participate. Once a program agrees to participate, PASHA packages all materials required to replicate or adapt the intervention, along with a user's guide, two evaluation instruments and a directory guiding users to sources of assistance. As additional effective programs are identified and agree to submit their materials for archiving and distribution, they will be added to the collection.