Effectiveness of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy on Emotion Regulation Difficulties and Impulsivity in Women with Binge Eating Disorder

Objective: The present study aimed to examine the effectiveness of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy on emotion regulation difficulties and impulsivity in women with binge eating disorder. Methodology: This applied research employed a quasi-experimental design using a two-group model with pre-test, post-test, and follow-up phases, including a control group. The statistical population consisted of women diagnosed with binge eating disorder who referred to the Mastaneh Psychology Clinic in 2023. A total of 40 participants were selected purposefully based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. They were then randomly assigned to an experimental group (n = 20) and a control group (n = 20). The experimental group received eight 90-minute sessions of EMDR therapy (Luber, 2019), while the control group remained on a waiting list. Both groups completed the research instruments during the pre-test, post-test, and follow-up stages, which included the Binge Eating Scale (Gormally et al., 1982), the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (Gratz & Roemer, 2004), and the Impulsivity Questionnaire. Collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (repeated measures analysis of variance and Bonferroni post-hoc test) in SPSS version 26. Findings: The results indicated that EMDR therapy led to a reduction in emotion regulation difficulties and impulsivity in women with binge eating disorder. Conclusion: Therefore, it can be concluded that EMDR therapy results in improvements in cognitive-emotional and behavioral dimensions, and incorporating this method into current treatment protocols for binge eating disorder may enhance therapeutic outcomes.