Body image and body dissatisfaction in binge eating: a comparison between implicit and explicit measures

Binge Eating Disorder (BED) ischaracterized by recurrent episodes of binge eating accompanied by a sense of lack of control over eating and associated with unpleasant feelings and marked distress (DSM-5, APA, 2013). BED is frequently associated to obesity (de Zwaan, 2001). Binge eating symptoms or behaviors (i.e. the experience of binge eating episodes without fulfilling BED criteria) are more common than the full syndrome (Siqueira ET AL., 2004; Spitzer et al., 1992). Body dissatisfaction and overvaluation of weight and shape are known risk factors for both binge eating and BED (Mitchison et al., 2017). Body dissatisfaction, i.e. the negative evaluation of one’s body, is often measured as the difference between the current and the ideal silhouettes chosen among a series of 9 (Gleaves et al., 2000). Overvaluation of weight and shape is a concept that includes both global negative evaluations of one’s body and the perceptions, cognitions and emotions regarding one’s own weight and figure and their influence on self-esteem and self-worth (e.g. Lewer et al., 2017). Notwithstanding the central role of body dissatisfaction and overvaluation of weight and shape also in binge eating, misperception of body size in BED and binge eating behavior has been widely neglected so far. However, a recent review (Lewer et al., 2017) evidence that a few studies show that individuals with BED rate their body shape rather accurately. The presentation will address these topics presenting also results of a study examining implicit and explicit assessment of body image and body dissatisfaction in a sample of 39 participants (age M= 23,9 ± 3,74) divided in two groups based on binge eatingsymptomatology. Data were obtained throughmultiple measures:a Body Image Task (BIT) assessing implicit body image, an analogic scale assessing explicit body image and body dissatisfaction, actual participants’ anthropometric measures, objectively taken by researchers.