Childhood maltreatment and personality disorders in adult patients with binge eating disorder.

OBJECTIVE

To examine the association between retrospective reports of different types of childhood maltreatment and current personality disorders (PDs) in patients with binge eating disorder (BED).

METHOD: A total of 116 consecutive out-patients with DSM-IV BED were assessed with diagnostic interviews and completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire to assess childhood maltreatment in five domains (emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional neglect and physical neglect).

RESULTS

Eighty-two percent of patients reported some form of childhood maltreatment and 30% met criteria for at least one PD. Emotional abuse was significantly associated with cluster C PD overall and specifically with avoidant PD.

CONCLUSION

Reports of emotional abuse - but not other forms of maltreatment - were associated with greater likelihood of a PDs in patients with BED.