Interaction of general anxiety with anxiety about getting fat may increase the number of Binge-Eating Disorder symptoms

According to preliminary sources, general anxiety and anxiety about getting fat (AGF) can predict the occurrence of binge eating disorder (BED). Still, there is little research in this area. The aim of the present study was to investigate depression, anxiety, and AGF in BED. The research focused on BED from two separate perspectives: the number of BED symptoms and the recurrence rate of BED episodes. Women diagnosed with BED (n = 103) were surveyed using a self-developed questionnaire evaluating the presence of BED symptoms based on DSM-5 criteria and two other measures: the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and the Body Mass Anxiety Scale (BMAS-20). Binge-eating women experienced high levels of anxiety and AGF. Significant differences were observed in the level of anxiety and AGF between groups with a lower and higher number of BED symptoms. Also, groups with mild, moderate, and severe BED were found to differ significantly in the level of depression symptoms. We demonstrated that the interaction of anxiety and AGF could predict the number of BED symptoms. AGF may be a specific type of anxiety in BED and may be increased by anxiety disorders.