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Does the tendency to act impulsively underlie binge eating and alcohol use problems? An empirical investigation

journal contribution
posted on 2004-01-01, 00:00 authored by T Kane, N Loxton, Petra StaigerPetra Staiger, S Dawe
The co-occurrence of problem drinking and binge eating and purging has been well documented. However, there has been relatively little investigation of etiological models that may influence the development of this  co-occurrence. This study tests the hypotheses that impulsivity is heightened in eating disordered women compared with controls, and that women with comorbid bulimia and alcohol use disorders show higher impulsivity than bulimic-only women. The Impulsivity scale, BIS/BAS scales, State Anxiety Inventory, and a behavioural measure of reward responsiveness (CARROT) were administered to 22 women with bulimia, 23 women with comorbid bulimia and alcohol abuse/dependence, and 21 control women. As hypothesised, eating disordered women scored higher than controls on several self-report measures of impulsivity and sorted cards faster during a financially rewarded trial on the behavioural task. Also, as predicted, comorbid women scored higher than bulimic women on the Impulsivity scale. These findings suggest that individual differences in impulsiveness and a tendency to approach rewarding stimuli may contribute to developing these disorders.

History

Journal

Personality and individual differences

Volume

36

Issue

1

Pagination

83 - 94

Publisher

Pergamon

Location

Oxford, England

ISSN

0191-8869

eISSN

1873-3549

Language

eng

Publication classification

C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal

Copyright notice

2003, Elsevier Ltd

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