The Role of Empathy in the Links Between Binge Eating Disorder and Interpersonal Difficulties

NCT07201662 | Active Not Recruiting DMC

• 2 other identifiers: 2025-A00868-41MR-P0010
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 155
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Obesity, recognized as a chronic disease by the WHO since 1998, affects 22.1% of adults in the Hauts-de-France region. Beyond the physiological aspects, it is associated with psychological difficulties, particularly eating disorders such as binge eating disorder (BED), as well as interpersonal difficulties related to empathy. Empathy, which consists of cognitive (decoding emotion) and affective (sharing emotion) dimensions, appears to be reduced in obese adults compared to adults of normal weight. However, existing research remains limited and heterogeneous. It is therefore essential to explore the links between obesity, cognitive and affective empathy in greater detail, taking into account the role of BED, in order to better understand their impact on interpersonal relationships.

Conditions

Obesity &Amp;Amp; Overweight

Keywords

obesity; binge eating disorder; Empathy

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• MET-Core

  Compare cognitive empathy skills obtained on the MET-Core between participants who are obese

  Enrollment

Secondary Outcomes (2)

• Empathy skills

  Enrollment

• Interpersonal difficulties assessed with the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems - Circumplex Scales (IIP-C)

  Enrollment

Study Arms (1)

Patient Nutritional Rehabilitation

EXPERIMENTAL

Patients presenting for a "standard" stay, preparation for bariatric surgery, or post-surgical follow-up in the Nutritional Rehabilitation department

Other: Condensed and Revised Multifaceted Empathy Test; Other: Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale; Other: Interpersonal Reactivity Index; Other: Vicarious Distress Questionnaire; Other: Binge Eating Scale

Interventions

Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale OTHER

A self-administered scale with 14 items, divided into two subscales of seven items, used to detect the presence of depression and anxiety. Non-cases or asymptomatic individuals (score ≤ 7); probable or borderline cases (score 8-10); clearly or clinically symptomatic cases (score ≥ 11). The administration time is approximately 5 minutes.

Patient Nutritional Rehabilitation

Interpersonal Reactivity Index OTHER

The Interpersonal Reactivity Index (Davis, 1980; Guttman \& Laporte, 2002) is a 28-item self-report questionnaire measuring four dimensions of empathy: fantasy, perspective taking, empathic concern, and personal distress. Each item is rated on a 1-to-5 scale and provides a subscore for each dimension, with no overall total score. Administration takes approximately 5 minutes.

Patient Nutritional Rehabilitation

Condensed and Revised Multifaceted Empathy Test OTHER

Experimental emotional decoding task that measures the cognitive and affective dimensions of empathy based on performance (Edele et al., 2013; Grynberg et al., 2017).Participants view 40 photos of faces expressing either a positive or negative emotion and must identify the emotion (decoding) and then rate on a 1-9 scale the extent to which they share it (emotional sharing). The task lasts approximately 10 minutes on average.

Patient Nutritional Rehabilitation

Vicarious Distress Questionnaire OTHER

The Vicarious Distress Questionnaire (Grynberg et al., 2012) is an 18-item self-report scale assessing distress experienced in response to others' suffering and its impact on prosocial behaviors. It includes three dimensions-distress, support, and avoidance-each yielding a specific subscore. Administration takes approximately 5 minutes.

Patient Nutritional Rehabilitation

Binge Eating Scale OTHER

The Binge Eating Scale (Gormally et al., 1982; Brunault et al., 2016) is a 16-item self-report questionnaire assessing the behavioral, emotional, and cognitive manifestations of binge eating disorder (BED) according to DSM-V criteria. The total score (0-46) reflects symptom severity and can be interpreted dimensionally or categorically (≥ 18 indicating significant symptomatology). Administration takes approximately 5 minutes.

Patient Nutritional Rehabilitation

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Age ≥ 18 years
• BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2
• French-speaking
• Enrolled in nutritional rehabilitation
• Written consent signed by the patient
• Affiliation with a social security system

You may not qualify if:

• Insufficient proficiency in the French language
• Minor patients, or patients under legal protection measures or deprived of liberty
• Lack of health insurance coverage
• Refusal to participate in the study
• Presence of neurological disorders
• Presence of cognitive disorders
• Presence of psychiatric disorders
• Presence of eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Clinique les Peupliers: collaborator
• Clinique de la Mitterie: lead

Study Sites (1)

Clinique les Peupliers

Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Obesity; Overweight; Binge-Eating Disorder

Interventions

4-amino-4'-hydroxylaminodiphenylsulfone

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Overnutrition; Nutrition Disorders; Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases; Body Weight; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Feeding and Eating Disorders; Mental Disorders

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Model Details: Single-center type 2 trial (interventional study with minimal risks and constraints)

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: August 29, 2025
• First Posted: October 1, 2025
• Study Start: November 5, 2025
• Primary Completion: November 5, 2025
• Study Completion (Estimated): March 1, 2027
• Last Updated: January 12, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-01

Locations

FR (1)