Is the Relationship Between Binge Eating Episodes and Personality Attributable to Genetic Factors?

Abstract

Aspects of disordered eating and personality traits, such as neuroticism are correlated and, individually, heritable. We examined the phenotypic correlation between binge eating episodes and indices of personality (neuroticism, extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness, conscientiousness and control/impulsivity). For correlations ≥ |0.20|, we estimated the extent to which genetic and environmental factors contributed to this correlation. Participants included 3446 European-American same-sex female twins from the Missouri Adolescent Female Twin Study (median age = 22 years). Binge eating episode was assessed via interview questions. Personality traits were assessed by self-report questionnaires. There was a significant moderate phenotypic correlation between binge eating episode and neuroticism (r = 0.33), as well as conscientiousness (r=−0.21) while other correlations were significant but smaller (r ranging from −0.14 to 0.14). Individual differences in binge eating episodes, neuroticism and conscientiousness were attributed to additive genetic influences (38% [95% confidence interval: 21%–53%], 45% [38%–52%], and 44% [0.33–0.55] respectively), with the remaining variance due to individual-specific environmental influences. Covariance was attributable to genetic (neuroticism rg = 0.37; conscientiousness rg = −0.22) and individual-specific environmental (neuroticism re = 0.28; conscientiousness re = −0.19) influences. Personality traits may be an early indicator of genetic vulnerability to a variety of pathological behaviors including binge eating episode. Furthermore, prior research documenting phenotypic correlations between eating disorder diagnoses and personality may stem from etiological overlap between these personality traits and aspects of disordered eating, such as binge eating episode.

Associations of neuroticism and impulsivity with binge eating in a nationally representative sample of adolescents in the United States

“…Previous studies of clinical samples found neuroticism to be a risk factor for binge eating episodes (Koren et al, 2014) and found significant associations between neuroticism and other risk and maintenance factors for binge eating (e.g., low interpersonal esteem and depressive affect) (Mackinnon et al, 2011; Sherry & Hall, 2009). Our findings extend the literature by showing an association between neuroticism and binge eating in the general U.S. adolescent population.…”

Research Review: What we have learned about the causes of eating disorders – a synthesis of sociocultural, psychological, and biological research

“…Behavioral genetic research examining negative emotionality/neuroticism-disordered eating associations has been somewhat mixed. Two studies found that genetic factors largely explained the covariation between negative emotionality/neuroticism and disordered eating symptoms (i.e., binge eating, body dissatisfaction, weight preoccupation, compensatory behavior) in adolescent and young adult females, with genetic correlations (i.e., r a; see definition in Table 1) ranging from .37 to .49 across studies (Klump et al, 2002;Koren et al, 2014). Both studies reported significant non-shared environmental correlations for these personality traits and binge eating (r e 's = .25-.28), whereas Klump et al (2002) did not detect environmental overlap for weight preoccupation, body dissatisfaction, or compensatory behavior.…”

The Direct and Indirect Effects of Online Social Support, Neuroticism, and Web Content Internalization on the Drive for Thinness among Women Visiting Health-Oriented Websites

“…They are also more sensitive to criticism; they experience higher levels of rejection; and they have lower self-esteem [51]. In prior research, neuroticism has been connected to the increased drive for thinness in women [52,53], to heightened food and body preoccupation [54], to body dissatisfaction [55], to the self-regulation of eating attitudes (e.g., food temptation) [56], and even to eating disorder diagnosis [48,57] and binge eating [58,59]. According to Fischer, Schreyer, Coughlin, Redgrave, and Guarda [52], the facets of neuroticism, including irritability and difficulty with emotional regulation, are risk factors for developing an ED.…”