Research suggests that that
binge eating, stress, and depression are prevalent among individuals seeking
bariatric surgery. However, ethnic differences in the prevalence of
binge eating and
binge eating disorder (BED) in this population remain unclear, as does the impact of depression and stress on any such relationship. Further, no studies to date have examined the prevalence of
binge eating in Hispanic women presenting for
bariatric surgery. This study sought to (a) compare the prevalence and severity of
binge eating symptomatology and BED diagnosis in Hispanic, African American, and Caucasian women presenting for
gastric bypass surgery, (b) examine the impact of depressive symptoms and stress on
binge eating symptomatology, and (c) investigate whether ethnicity moderated any relationship between depression, stress, and
binge eating. Results indicated that Hispanic women exhibited equal rates of
binge eating symptomatology, BED, and depressive symptomatology as African American and Caucasian women. However, Caucasian women exhibited greater
binge eating symptomatology than African American women, and African American women endorsed greater levels of stress than Caucasian women. Across all ethnic groups, depressive symptomatology, but not stress, significantly predicted
binge eating severity. These findings suggest that Hispanic women presenting for
bariatric surgery report
binge eating rates equivalent to Caucasian and African American women, and that depressive symptoms are an important predictor of
binge eating in female
bariatric surgery candidates across ethnic groups.