Prevalence and Characteristics of Binge Eating in an Adolescent Community Sample

The objective of this article was to investigate the prevalence and psychological correlates of binge eating among adolescents. Self-report questionnaires were administered to a community sample of 708 adolescents (M(age) = 14 years). Adolescents reporting loss of control over eating (17% of the sample) reported more eating pathology and more general maladjustment compared to those without loss of control. The combined presence of subjective and objective binge episodes was related to the most severe pattern of eating pathology. The results suggest that loss of control over eating is a relatively frequent experience among adolescents from the general population and it is related to eating pathology and maladjustment.