Family Environment and Psychiatric History in Women with Binge-eating Disorder and Obese Controls

Abstract

We examined the prevalence of comorbid psychopathology, family psychiatric history, and perceptions of family environment in 20 women with binge-eating disorder (BED) and 20 non-binge-eating obese controls. Women with BED were significantly more likely to report current or lifetime affective and anxiety disorders as well as family histories of BED. Family histories of substance abuse did not differ across groups. Significantly more women with BED rated their parents' parenting style as consistent with “affectionless control” on the Parental Bonding Instrument, and reported significantly lower cohesion, expressiveness, conflict, independence, intellectual-cultural orientation, and active-recreational orientation on the Family Environment Scale.