Latent profiles of dietary restraint among individuals with binge‐spectrum eating disorders: Associations with eating disorder symptom severity

Objective The relationship of dietary restraint in increasing risk for binge eating among individuals with binge‐spectrum eating disorders (B‐EDs) is well established. However, previous research has not yet identified whether these individuals exhibit heterogeneous profiles of dietary restraint and whether these profiles are associated with differences in eating pathology. Methods Individuals with B‐EDs (N = 290) completed the Eating Disorder Examination. Latent profile analysis was conducted on dietary restraint frequency data, including restriction of overall amount of food consumed, avoidance of eating, desire for an empty stomach, food avoidance, and dietary rules. Identified latent profiles were compared on binge eating frequency, compensatory behaviors frequency, and ED pathology using the three‐step procedure. Results A four‐class model of dietary restraint best fit the data. Classes significantly differed in frequency of compensatory behaviors (F[3, 286] = 31.01, p