The prevalence and clinical features of the night eating syndrome in psychiatric out-patient population

Compr Psychiatry. 2015 Feb:57:79-84. doi: 10.1016/j.comppsych.2014.11.007. Epub 2014 Nov 20.

Abstract

Objective: In this study we aimed to investigate the prevalance and clinical correlations of night eating syndrome (NES) in a sample of psychiatric outpatients.

Method: Four hundred thirthy three consecutive psychiatric out-patients older than 18years were evaluated in the outpatient clinics using clinical interview according to the DSM-IV with regard to psychiatric diagnosis. Participants were also screened for presence of NES utilizing both clinical interview and self report based on Night Eating Questionnaire (NEQ) instruments. Sociodemographic and clinical features such as age, gender, education level, socioeconomic level and body mass index (BMI) were also recorded. The Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ) and the Symptom Checklist-90 Revised (SCL-90R) were administered.

Results: Based on the proposed diagnostic criteria of the NES via utilizing clinical interview method, 97 (32 male, 65 female) of the sample met diagnostic criteria for NES. The point prevalence of NES was 22.4%. No statistically significant differences were found between the two groups in terms of age, gender, marital status, education and BMI. The patients with NES had higher NEQ, BSQ and SCL-90R subscale scores than patients without NES. Prevalance of depressive disorder, impulse control disorder, and nicotine dependency was higher among patients with NES. No differences were found with regard to the medication (antipsychotics, antidepressants and mood stabilizers).

Conclusion: Night eating syndrome is prevalent among psychiatric outpatients and associated with depression, impulse control disorder, and nicotine dependency. Body dissatisfaction and higher symptom severity are also other risk factors for the development of NES.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Body Image
  • Body Mass Index
  • Depressive Disorder / psychology
  • Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
  • Disruptive, Impulse Control, and Conduct Disorders / psychology
  • Feeding and Eating Disorders / epidemiology*
  • Feeding and Eating Disorders / psychology*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Mental Disorders / complications
  • Mental Disorders / drug therapy
  • Mental Disorders / psychology
  • Middle Aged
  • Outpatients
  • Prevalence
  • Socioeconomic Factors
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Tobacco Use Disorder / psychology
  • Turkey / epidemiology