اختلال خوردن و مصرف الکل در میان دختران کالج: ارتباط با نژاد و پنج ویژگی بزرگ

Excessive alcohol use and disordered eating are considerable health-related problems among college women. The purpose of the present study was to examine how specific patterns of disordered eating (i.e., anorexia, bulimia, binge eating) are related to alcohol use and related problems and the influence of racial group membership and Big Five personality traits on the co-occurrence of these behaviors. Participants were 153 undergraduate women. Results indicated that White women reported more binge drinking, alcohol-related problems, disordered eating, anorexia nervosa symptoms, and bulimia nervosa symptoms than non-White women. Women with higher levels of openness and who engage in extreme exercise, dieting, fasting, or purging were more at risk for heavy and problematic alcohol use. Implications for the treatment of co-occurring disorders among college students and further research are discussed.

Disordered eating is a major concern for college women, negatively impacting overall happiness, physical health, relationships, and academics (Piran, Robinson, & Cormier, 2007). Disordered eating (EDs) and binge drinking tend to co-occur among college women and are associated with significantly more alcohol-related problems (Dams-O'Connor et al., 2006 and Gadalla and Piran, 2007). Awareness of individual factors common to these health-compromising behaviors provides insight into their etiology and targeting prevention efforts. Large national studies demonstrate differences in alcohol consumption among diverse racial groups. Non-Latino White and American Indian college students typically report the greatest quantity and frequency of alcohol use while African American/Black students report the lowest levels (CORE, 2005). Inconsistent patterns of racial differences in EDs have been found, with studies finding that relative to women of color, White women report more EDs (Center for Collegiate Mental Health (CCMH), 2013 and Striegel-Moore et al., 2003), comparable rates (Reagan & Hersch, 2005), or fewer EDs (Marques et al., 2011). The co-occurrence of alcohol use and EDs may be explained by shared, predisposing, personality characteristics (Dunn, Neighbors, Fossos, & Larimer, 2008) such as the Big Five traits (McCrae & Costa, 1987) of high neuroticism, extraversion, and openness to experience, and low conscientiousness and agreeableness (Cassin and von Ranson, 2005, Ellickson-Larewa et al., 2013 and Kuntsche et al., 2006). While presented rather concisely here, results of studies assessing personality in relation to EDs and alcohol outcomes tend to yield complex and inconsistent results, making firm conclusions about the relationships difficult. Further, few studies have examined Big Five traits in relation to EDs and alcohol use and problems among college students. The current study aimed to replicate and extend existing research by (a) assessing the co-occurrence of alcohol use, alcohol-related problems and EDs among college women; (b) investigating how the interrelationships differed depending on the particular symptoms endorsed (i.e., anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), or binge eating disorder (BED); (c) clarifying personality traits associated with the aforementioned behaviors; (d) determining whether the behaviors co-occurred after accounting for shared personality traits; and (e) investigating racial differences and the extent to which race moderated relationships among alcohol use and EDs. We hypothesized the following: (a) binge drinking and alcohol-related problems would be significantly associated with global eating pathology (i.e. EDDS total scores), as well as symptoms of AN, BN and BED; (b) high neuroticism and openness and low conscientiousness and agreeableness would be associated with binge drinking, alcohol-related problems, and all forms of disordered eating; (c) White women would report greater instances of binge drinking, alcohol-related problems, and EDs; and (d) race would moderate relationships between disordered eating and alcohol outcomes (i.e., the relationship would be stronger for White participants).