Transdiagnostic fears and avoidance behaviors in self-reported eating disorders

BACKGROUND: Fears and avoidance behaviors are common symptoms of eating disorders. It was investigated whether different eating disorder diagnoses are equally characterized by similar fears and avoidance behaviors.

METHODS: Individuals with self-reported eating disorders (n = 250) and healthy controls (n = 95) completed online questionnaires assessing general fears, eating related fears, and avoidance behaviors.

RESULTS: All self-reported eating disorder diagnoses showed more eating related fears, general fears, and avoidance behaviors than healthy controls. Individuals with binge eating disorder showed less specific and general fears on some but by no means all scales, yet they showed less food avoidance behaviors than all other eating disorders and less eating restraint than anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.

CONCLUSIONS: Eating related fears, general fears, and food avoidance behaviors were found to be transdiagnostic symptoms in self-reported eating disorders. Individuals with binge eating disorder also exhibit more fears and avoidance behaviors than healthy controls, but to a lesser extent than the other eating disorders. Specialized interventions targeting fears and avoidance may be promising add-on interventions not only in the treatment of anorexia nervosa, but in the treatment of all eating disorders.