To elucidate similarities and differences between binge eating and a behavioral addiction, this prospective study compared facets of emotion regulation that were associated with problem gambling, the only formally recognized behavioral addiction, and binge eating. Community-based women (N = 202) who engaged in at-risk binge eating (n = 79), at-risk gambling (n = 36), or both (n = 87) completed four online assessments over six months. Baseline and six-month surveys assessed self-reported emotion dysregulation (using the DERS and UPPS-P), binge eating (using the EDE-Q), and gambling (using the PGSI); abbreviated two- and four-month surveys assessed only binge eating and gambling. Binge eating and problem gambling were both associated with emotion dysregulation, and greater positive urgency was correlated with more severe problem gambling but less frequent binge eating. Negative urgency explained no unique variance in binge eating or problem gambling changes over time, once other facets of emotion dysregulation (i.e., positive urgency and facets assessed by the DERS) were included. Thus, previous cross-sectional research may have overestimated the association of negative urgency with both binge eating and problem gambling. Overall, these findings suggest that binge eating and problem gambling are associated with common as well as distinct emotion regulation deficits.
The Mediating Effects of Depression on the relationships between Difficulties in Emotion Regulation and Binge Eating of High-School girls