Correlates of body image dissatisfaction in treatment-seeking men and women with binge eating disorder

OBJECTIVE: We examined body image dissatisfaction (BID) in patients with binge eating disorder (BED). METHOD: Six predictors were considered in 343 consecutive treatment-seeking BED patients (76 men, 267 women): body mass index (BMI), age onset of overweight childhood teasing about weight or size childhood teasing about general appearance, depression, and self-esteem. RESULTS: Women reported higher BID than men. In women, depression, self-esteem, and childhood teasing about weight or size jointly accounted for 28.4% of the variance in BID. In men, depression, self-esteem, and BMI jointly accounted for 47.4% of the variance in BID. DISCUSSION: Findings highlight gender differences and the importance of adult psychological functioning (depression and self-esteem) for predicting BID in treatment-seeking men and women with BED.