The Relationship Between Binge Eating Behavior and Psychological Pain in Patients with Major Depressive Disorder
Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is a chronic mental disorder characterized by anhedonia, loss of desire, guilt, suicidal thoughts, and appetite changes. It is reported that individuals with MDD resort to binge eating to escape from negative feelings. In this study, we aimed to determine the relation...
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2025-06-01
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| author | Aynur Özbay Mehmet Emin Demirkol Lut Tamam Zeynep Namlı Mahmut Onur Karaytuğ Caner Yeşiloğlu |
| author_facet | Aynur Özbay Mehmet Emin Demirkol Lut Tamam Zeynep Namlı Mahmut Onur Karaytuğ Caner Yeşiloğlu |
| author_sort | Aynur Özbay |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is a chronic mental disorder characterized by anhedonia, loss of desire, guilt, suicidal thoughts, and appetite changes. It is reported that individuals with MDD resort to binge eating to escape from negative feelings. In this study, we aimed to determine the relationship between binge eating behavior and the concept of psychological pain associated with emotions such as shame, guilt, and anger in individuals with MDD. We conducted the study in the Psychiatry Outpatient Clinics of Balcalı Hospital, Çukurova University Faculty of Medicine. The sample consisted of 147 individuals with MDD without psychotic symptoms and 128 healthy controls with sociodemographic characteristics similar to the MDD group. We administered a sociodemographic data form, the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS), Psychache Scale (PS), Tolerance for Mental Pain Scale-10 (TMPS-10), Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11), and Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q-13). Eighty-two (55.7%) of the patients with MDD were diagnosed with binge eating disorder (BED). In the group of MDD patients with BED comorbidity, the EDE-Q-13 total, binging subscale, and HDRS scores were significantly higher than those of the other groups (<i>p</i> < 0.05 for each group), with large to very large effect sizes (e.g., EDE-Q-13 binging d = 1.04; HDRS d = 1.91; PS d = 1.22). There was no significant difference between the MDD groups (with and without BED) regarding the BIS and BIS subscales’ subscores, PS, and TMPS scores. For participants with MDD, there was a significant same-directional correlation between EDE-Q-13 binging, HDRS, BIS, and PS scores (<i>p</i> < 0.05 for each), with moderate to strong effect sizes (EDE-Q-13 binging and HDRS: r = 0.398, <i>p</i> < 0.001; binging and PS: r = 0.273, <i>p</i> < 0.001; binging and BIS: r = 0.233, <i>p</i> = 0.005; binging and TMPS-10: r = –0.257, <i>p</i> = 0.002). Additionally, a negative correlation was observed between TMPS and the scores for EDE-Q-13 binging, HDRS, BIS, and PS. A linear regression analysis indicated that depression severity and BMI were the strongest predictors of binge eating behavior (R<sup>2</sup> = 0.243; f<sup>2</sup> = 0.32). Based on our results, we concluded that the presence of binge eating behavior in patients with MDD is associated with more severe depressive symptoms, psychological pain, impulsivity, and lower tolerance to psychological pain. The finding that binge eating behavior was most strongly associated with depression severity and body mass index (BMI) supports the notion that binge eating behavior is a maladaptive attitude. Longitudinal studies comparing individuals with different BMIs in different clinical samples are needed to confirm our results. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-8ba11bf2aec44442860cdaf974e3ff15 |
| institution | Kabale University |
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| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
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| series | Behavioral Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-8ba11bf2aec44442860cdaf974e3ff152025-08-20T03:58:25ZengMDPI AGBehavioral Sciences2076-328X2025-06-0115784210.3390/bs15070842The Relationship Between Binge Eating Behavior and Psychological Pain in Patients with Major Depressive DisorderAynur Özbay0Mehmet Emin Demirkol1Lut Tamam2Zeynep Namlı3Mahmut Onur Karaytuğ4Caner Yeşiloğlu5Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Çukurova University, Adana 01250, TürkiyeDepartment of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Çukurova University, Adana 01250, TürkiyeDepartment of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Çukurova University, Adana 01250, TürkiyeDepartment of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Çukurova University, Adana 01250, TürkiyeDepartment of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Çukurova University, Adana 01250, TürkiyeDepartment of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Çukurova University, Adana 01250, TürkiyeMajor Depressive Disorder (MDD) is a chronic mental disorder characterized by anhedonia, loss of desire, guilt, suicidal thoughts, and appetite changes. It is reported that individuals with MDD resort to binge eating to escape from negative feelings. In this study, we aimed to determine the relationship between binge eating behavior and the concept of psychological pain associated with emotions such as shame, guilt, and anger in individuals with MDD. We conducted the study in the Psychiatry Outpatient Clinics of Balcalı Hospital, Çukurova University Faculty of Medicine. The sample consisted of 147 individuals with MDD without psychotic symptoms and 128 healthy controls with sociodemographic characteristics similar to the MDD group. We administered a sociodemographic data form, the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS), Psychache Scale (PS), Tolerance for Mental Pain Scale-10 (TMPS-10), Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11), and Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q-13). Eighty-two (55.7%) of the patients with MDD were diagnosed with binge eating disorder (BED). In the group of MDD patients with BED comorbidity, the EDE-Q-13 total, binging subscale, and HDRS scores were significantly higher than those of the other groups (<i>p</i> < 0.05 for each group), with large to very large effect sizes (e.g., EDE-Q-13 binging d = 1.04; HDRS d = 1.91; PS d = 1.22). There was no significant difference between the MDD groups (with and without BED) regarding the BIS and BIS subscales’ subscores, PS, and TMPS scores. For participants with MDD, there was a significant same-directional correlation between EDE-Q-13 binging, HDRS, BIS, and PS scores (<i>p</i> < 0.05 for each), with moderate to strong effect sizes (EDE-Q-13 binging and HDRS: r = 0.398, <i>p</i> < 0.001; binging and PS: r = 0.273, <i>p</i> < 0.001; binging and BIS: r = 0.233, <i>p</i> = 0.005; binging and TMPS-10: r = –0.257, <i>p</i> = 0.002). Additionally, a negative correlation was observed between TMPS and the scores for EDE-Q-13 binging, HDRS, BIS, and PS. A linear regression analysis indicated that depression severity and BMI were the strongest predictors of binge eating behavior (R<sup>2</sup> = 0.243; f<sup>2</sup> = 0.32). Based on our results, we concluded that the presence of binge eating behavior in patients with MDD is associated with more severe depressive symptoms, psychological pain, impulsivity, and lower tolerance to psychological pain. The finding that binge eating behavior was most strongly associated with depression severity and body mass index (BMI) supports the notion that binge eating behavior is a maladaptive attitude. Longitudinal studies comparing individuals with different BMIs in different clinical samples are needed to confirm our results.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/15/7/842binge eatingdepressionmajor depressive disorderpsychological painimpulsivity |
| spellingShingle | Aynur Özbay Mehmet Emin Demirkol Lut Tamam Zeynep Namlı Mahmut Onur Karaytuğ Caner Yeşiloğlu The Relationship Between Binge Eating Behavior and Psychological Pain in Patients with Major Depressive Disorder Behavioral Sciences binge eating depression major depressive disorder psychological pain impulsivity |
| title | The Relationship Between Binge Eating Behavior and Psychological Pain in Patients with Major Depressive Disorder |
| title_full | The Relationship Between Binge Eating Behavior and Psychological Pain in Patients with Major Depressive Disorder |
| title_fullStr | The Relationship Between Binge Eating Behavior and Psychological Pain in Patients with Major Depressive Disorder |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Relationship Between Binge Eating Behavior and Psychological Pain in Patients with Major Depressive Disorder |
| title_short | The Relationship Between Binge Eating Behavior and Psychological Pain in Patients with Major Depressive Disorder |
| title_sort | relationship between binge eating behavior and psychological pain in patients with major depressive disorder |
| topic | binge eating depression major depressive disorder psychological pain impulsivity |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/15/7/842 |
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