Dear editor
We have read a research article entitled “Prevalence and Associations of Night Eating Syndrome Among Medical Students in Saudi Arabia” by Haneef S, Almuammar S,1 recently published in Psychology Research and Behavior Management. We congratulate the authors on this successful article and make some contributions. There are three strengths of this study: 1) This study highlights the prevalence of Night Eating Syndrome (NES) and depression among medical students in Saudi Arabia, 2) Demonstrates the association between NES and depression, and identifies that being a second year medical student is significantly associated with positive depression screening results, 3) Makes an important contribution to the literature, especially in the context of Saudi Arabia, by highlighting the importance of addressing mental health issues among medical students.
However, we have also discovered several limitations that need to be corrected in the future, namely: 1) This study did not consider other factors that may affect NES, such as eating habits, sleep patterns, and academic stress, which may limit a thorough understanding of the factors contributing to NES, 2) This study did not consider other factors that may affect depression besides academic year, age, and body mass index, so other relevant factors may not be identified, 3) This study did not consider cultural differences or socioeconomic backgrounds that may affect the results of the study, especially in the context of Saudi Arabia.
To obtain better results, we recommend that further research be carried out by 1) Conduct longitudinal studies to understand the development and progression of NES over time among medical students, 2) Expand the sample coverage to include medical students from different universities in Saudi Arabia to improve the generalizability of the findings, 3) Expand the study to consider other factors that might influence NES, such as eating habits, sleep patterns, and academic stress, for a more comprehensive understanding,2 4) Expand the study to consider other factors that might influence depression besides academic year, age, and body mass index, such as: trauma and violence, loss of social support and consumption of addictive substances,3 5) Deepen the understanding of the role of culture and socioeconomic background in influencing NES and depression among medical students in Saudi Arabia.
In conclusion, this study makes a significant contribution by highlighting the prevalence of Night Eating Syndrome (NES), its association with depression, and the importance of addressing mental health issues among medical students in Saudi Arabia.
Disclosure
The author reports no conflicts of interest in this communication.
References
- 1.Haneef S, Almuammar S. Prevalence and Associations of Night Eating Syndrome Among Medical Students in Saudi Arabia. Psychol Res Behav Manag. 2024;17:529–535. doi: 10.2147/PRBM.S450463 [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 2.Lavery ME, Frum-Vassallo D. An Updated Review of Night Eating Syndrome: an Under-Represented Eating Disorder. Curr Obes Rep. 2022;11(4):395–404. doi: 10.1007/s13679-022-00487-9 [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 3.Konkolÿ Thege B, Horwood L, Slater L, Tan MC, Hodgins DC, Wild TC. Relationship between interpersonal trauma exposure and addictive behaviors: a systematic review. BMC Psychiatry. 2017;17(1):164. doi: 10.1186/s12888-017-1323-1 [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]