Drunkorexia: Disordered eating behaviors and risky alcohol consumption among adolescents

J Health Psychol. 2020 Nov-Dec;25(13-14):2222-2232. doi: 10.1177/1359105318791229. Epub 2018 Aug 3.

Abstract

The first goal of our study was to examine the differences on disordered eating and alcohol consumption among heavy, occasional restrictors, and non-restrictors in a sample of 823 adolescents. The second goal was to analyze the relation of drunkorexia between unhealthy eating and alcohol use. Our results showed that heavy restrictors reported more eating disorder symptoms and alcohol use than occasional restrictors and non-restrictors. Similarly, occasional restrictors showed more unhealthy eating and drinking behaviors than non-restrictors. Both disordered eating and alcohol use were significant predictors of drunkorexia, supporting the argument of drunkorexia as an overlapping of dysfunctional eating and drinking patterns.

Keywords: adolescence; alcohol use; disordered eating; drunkorexia.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Alcohol Drinking* / epidemiology
  • Feeding and Eating Disorders* / epidemiology
  • Health Behavior
  • Humans
  • Motivation