Loss of control as a transdiagnostic feature in obesity‐related eating behaviours: A systematic review

Abstract

Objective Emerging evidence suggests that loss of control (LOC) may present as a common feature across disordered eating behaviours. However, there has been limited research on the transdiagnostic nature of LOC in this area. The primary aim of this study was to systematically review disordered eating behaviours and measures of LOC in clinical and non‐clinical populations. Method Electronic searches of the relevant databases were conducted. Selected articles were screened for eligibility and assessed for methodological quality. Results Thirty‐four studies met inclusion criteria. Findings demonstrated that LOC was associated with disordered eating behaviours across bariatric populations, eating disorder populations, and community populations. Specifically, LOC was associated with binge eating (subjective and objective episodes), grazing, night eating, and emotional or stress eating. Findings also revealed that LOC was inconsistently operationalised across studies, with varied approaches to measuring the construct. Conclusion Overall, the findings from this review provide support for LOC as a transdiagnostic feature of disordered eating behaviours. Future studies should utilise robust multi‐method assessments to measure the severity of LOC, which may provide greater insight into how LOC manifests across different eating disorder presentations.

Grazing Prevalence and Associations with Eating and General Psychopathology, Body Mass Index, and Quality of Life in a Middle-Income Country

“…This reinforces the view proposed by Conceição et al [ 6 ], that grazing presents on a continuum, with CG associated with the greatest degree of clinical impairment. Further supporting this notion, recent findings have provided evidence that the sense of a loss of control over eating is a transdiagnostic feature of several disordered eating behaviours (e.g., binge-eating, grazing, night eating, emotional eating) in both clinical and non-clinical populations [ 36 ]. Collectively, this highlights that the perceived loss of control over grazing is the key clinical feature associated with clinical impairment and should be assessed and prioritised in treatment.…”

Editorial: Community series in extreme eating behaviors—Volume II

“…These new perspectives also help to generate an integrated view of the diagnosis and treatment of EDs and their psychological and physical co-morbidities (10). Additionally, researchers are making progress in understanding the psychological and behavioral underpinnings of obesity such as loss of control eating (11) and grazing (12).…”