Longitudinal stability of binge-eating type in eating disorders.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the 2-year longitudinal stability of objective bulimic (binge eating) episodes (OBEs) and subjective bulimic (binge eating) episodes (SBEs) in a multisite eating disorders sample.

Method: Participants included 288 females with eating disorder symptoms who were assessed every 6 months using the Eating Disorder Examination.

Results: Markov modeling revealed considerable longitudinal variability between types of binge eating over 6-month time intervals with relatively higher probability estimates for consistency between OBEs and SBEs than specific transitions between types for the overall sample as well as for eating disorder diagnostic groups. Transition patterns examining all five time points indicated notable variability in binge-eating patterns among participants.

Discussion: These findings suggest that although longitudinal patterns of binge types are variable among individuals with eating disorders, consistency in OBEs and SBEs was the most common pattern observed.