Black patients with binge-eating disorder: Comparison of different assessment methods

Psychol Assess. 2016 Oct;28(10):1319-1324. doi: 10.1037/pas0000246. Epub 2015 Nov 16.

Abstract

The Eating Disorder Examination (EDE) is a well-established assessment instrument, but requires substantial training and administration time. The Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q) is the corresponding self-report survey, which does not have these demands. Research has shown concordance between these 2 assessment methods, but samples have lacked racial diversity. The current study examined the concordance of the EDE-Q and EDE in a sample of Black patients with binge-eating disorder (BED) and a matched sample of White patients. Participants were 238 (Black n = 119, White n = 119) treatment-seeking adults with DSM-IV-TR-defined BED. Participants completed the EDE-Q, and trained doctoral-level clinicians assessed participants for BED and eating-disorder psychopathology using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Disorders and the Eating Disorder Examination (EDE) interview. The EDE-Q and EDE yielded significantly correlated frequencies of binge eating and eating-disorder psychopathology subscales. The EDE-Q yielded significantly lower frequencies of binge eating and higher scores on 3 of 4 subscales (not dietary restraint). Similar patterns of concordance between the EDE-Q and EDE were found for an alternative brief version of the instruments. Patterns of convergence and divergence between the EDE-Q and EDE observed in Black patients with BED are generally consistent with findings derived from the matched White sample: overall, scores are correlated but higher on the self-report compared with interview assessment methods. Clinicians assessing patients with BED should be aware of this overall pattern, and be aware that this pattern is similar in Black patients with BED with the notable exception of dietary restraint. (PsycINFO Database Record

Publication types

  • Comparative Study

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Binge-Eating Disorder / diagnosis*
  • Binge-Eating Disorder / ethnology
  • Black or African American*
  • Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Interview, Psychological*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Psychiatric Status Rating Scales*
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Self Report
  • White People
  • Young Adult