

Page 73
conferenceseries
.com
Volume 21
International Journal of Emergency Mental
Health and Human Resilience
ISSN: 1522-4821
Mental Health 2019
March 07-08, 2019
March 07-08, 2019 | Barcelona, Spain
5
th
International Conference on
Mental Health and Human Resilience
Binge eating addiction among women who suffer from psychological abuse in their relationship: The
moderating role of defense mechanisms
Orly Yona Drori
1
and
Shirley Ben Shlomo
2
1
Lev Hasharon Mental Health Medical Center, Israel
2
Bar Ilan University, Israel
Objectives:
The participants will be able to recognize the predictors of binge eating addiction among women who
suffer from psychological abuse in their relationships and will recognize the role of woman's defense mechanisms in
moderating the association between psychological abuse and binge eating addiction.
Methods:
A convenience sample of 380 Israeli women in relationships were located
via
the Internet, and after
consenting to participate in the study, they completed a series of structured questionnaires (The Yale Food Addiction
Scale; The Defense Style Questionnaire; Psychological maltreatment of women by their male partners; Level of
Differentiation of Self; sociodemographic questionnaire).
Results:
The higher the level of differentiation and mature defense mechanisms, the less addictive a woman is.
However, the level of addiction among women who experience psychological abuse with in their intimate relations,
is higher than women who do not experience psychological abuse in their relationship. Among women who
experienced psychological abuse in their relations, the defense mechanisms moderate the association between
psychological abuse within intimate relations and the extent of the addiction to binge eating.
Conclusions:
The study contributes to the therapy of women with binge eating addictions, as it raises awareness of
therapeutic-related content that could strengthen women and help them to cope with situations in their lives without
the need to Binge. One of the significant variables for therapeutic work is the level of differentiation of the self. In
addition, identifying the types of defense mechanisms might help to match treatment to the woman's emotional
needs. The current study found also that it is important to identify the environmental systems by which the addict
is surrounded, such as whether woman is in an abusive relationship. Finally, the study leads to the recognition that
Binge Eating, which is usually treated with an emphasis on nutritional behavior change, is an addiction, and as such,
it requires a combination of mental, nutritional and behavioral therapy. In view of this approach it is recommended
that treating a woman who is addicted to Binge Eating should involve a multi-disciplinary team comprised of
physicians, clinical dietitians and clinical psychotherapists.
orlyonadrori@gmail.comInt J Emerg Ment Health 2019, Volume 21
DOI: 10.4172/1522-4821-C1-027