“Binge Eating: Clinical Patterns & Biological Correlates”
This study is an extension of previous research (Keel et al., 2007) and seeks to compare individuals with bulimia nervosa, individuals with purging disorder (individuals who feel a sense of loss of control after eating a small amount of food and purge, or who purge but don’t binge), and controls (individuals with no history of an eating disorder). Participants complete 4 study visits. During a 1st study visit, participants complete structured clinical interviews, questionnaires, and medical exams for evaluation of clinical features and eligibility. During a 2nd study visit, participants will consume an ad lib test meal. During a 3rd and 4th visit, participants will consume a fixed test meal and undergo an experimental manipulation of gastric emptying using a single 10 mg oral dose of metoclopramide in a double-blind, placebo-controlled cross-over design. The purpose behind this study was to compare our subject groups on clinical symptom patterns and on their secretion of a hormone called cholecystokinin (CCK), a hormone that plays a role in satiety. Our psychobiological focus will allow us to translate basic research discoveries on the effects of gut peptides and gastric emptying on satiation into explanatory models for factors that contribute to the development or maintenance of BN and PD and will contribute to the development of effective pharmacological treatments for these dangerous disorders of eating.
"Momentary Assessment of Eating Attitudes and Behaviors"
The purpose of this study is to improve understanding of affective, cognitive, and somatic factors in the maintenance of purging among women with purging disorder (PD). Previous research on PD has been limited to cross-sectional designs that cannot establish temporal sequences, retrospective self-reports that are subject to memory problems and cognitive biases, and laboratory-based studies that lack ecological validity. This study addresses these limitations by using Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA), a design that involves repeated assessments of current psychological states in participants’ daily living environments. The specific aims of this study are to 1) identify triggers of purging, 2) identify consequences of purging, and 3) examine personality and comorbid psychopathology as moderators of associations between posited triggers and purging behavior. Women with PD (N=35) will be recruited to carry palmtop computers and make multiple ratings per day for two weeks. Data collection for this study is currently underway.
“Bulimic Syndromes: Secular and Longitudinal Trends”
This study was begun in 1982 by a researcher at Radcliffe who surveyed Harvard and Radcliffe freshmen and seniors to determine rates of eating disorders and their symptoms. In 1992, a professor named Todd Heatherton distributed a similar survey to Harvard/Radcliffe freshman and seniors to determine how eating disordered behaviors among college students had changed over time across cohorts (secular trends). Additionally, he re-contacted the alumni who had participated in the study as undergraduates and gave them a similar questionnaire; the purpose of doing this was to evaluate how these behaviors had changed over time within the sample (longitudinal trends). Ten years later, we initiated the study again, and this is the first time that anyone will have such data collected over a twenty-year period. In the spring of 2002, surveys were mailed to Harvard freshmen and seniors, and we re-contacted the alumni from both the 1982 and 1992 cohorts. An additional element was added to the design of the study: we conducted clinical interviews with a subset of participants who completed surveys in order to establish the accuracy of information collected on surveys and correlates of disordered eating patterns. We recently finished conducting clinical interviews, and data analysis is underway.
Link to Dataverse
“Perinatal Body Image”
The purpose of this study is to determine if body dissatisfaction in pregnant women is associated with maternal fetal attachment (MFA). MFA is the affiliation a mother feels for her unborn child. Thus, lower levels of MFA may partially result from greater dissatisfaction with the pregnant body. However, this association may be influenced by stage of pregnancy. This study seeks to compare women during different stages of pregnancy to better understand the nature of body image. Furthermore, this study seeks to examine the association between body dissatisfaction and MFA and if this association is modified by stage of pregnancy and mediated by level of depression. Participants in this study completed a questionnaire including measures of MFA, body dissatisfaction, and mood. This study compared four groups of women: women in their first trimester, second trimester, third trimester, and women who were within three months postpartum. Data collection for this study has been completed, and the manuscript has been accepted for publication.
"Gender and Age Differences in Associations between Peer Dieting and Drive for Thinness"
The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between drive for thinness and perceptions of friends’ dieting in men and women from three age groups: late adolescent, adult, and midlife. An additional aim of this study was to examine the difference between reported rates of dieting in women and men and perceived rates of female and male peer dieting. Participants answered questions about demographic background, height, weight, and several health and eating behaviors. Perceived peer dieting was assessed with questions asking about the percentages of male friends and female friends who dieted. Data collection and analysis for this study has been completed, and the manuscript has been accepted for publication.