Alexithymia and body image in adult outpatients with binge eating disorder.

OBJECTIVE

The current study elucidates the relations between alexithymia and body image in patients with binge eating disorder (BED).

METHOD: One hundred one patients with BED were evaluated. Alexithymia was measured with the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20). The severity of BED was measured with the Binge Eating Scale (BES). Body concerns were assessed with the Body Shape Questionnaire-Short Version (BSQ-S), the Body Uneasiness Test (BUT), and the Body Attitude Test (BAT). Additional measures were the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI).

RESULTS

The prevalence of alexithymia in our sample was 39.6% (n = 40) and individuals with alexithymia showed higher scores on all rating scales. Higher body dissatisfaction, lower self-esteem, depressive symptoms, and the Difficulty in Identifying Feelings/Difficulty in Describing Feelings subscales of the TAS-20 were predictors of the severity of BED in the linear regression analysis.

CONCLUSION

Alexithymia was associated with more severe BED. Individuals with alexithymia and BED exhibited significantly poorer appearance evaluation and body satisfaction as well as higher depressive symptoms than individuals without alexithymia.