Drunkorexia among adolescents. The role of motivations and emotion regulation

Background: The co-occurrence of disordered eating and alcohol use and misuse has frequently been highlighted in literature. Method: The first aim of the present study was to examine the association of drunkorexia with various disordered eating behaviors and alcohol consumption in a sample of male and female adolescents. The second goal was to investigate the motivations underlying drunkorexia and the third goal was to examine the relationship between drunkorexia and different dimensions of emotion regulation. One thousand adolescents (608 females and 392 males; range 16-21) completed a survey of self-report measures. Results: Results from hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed that fasting and engaging in binge drinking and getting drunk were significant predictors of drunkorexia in both males and females; furthermore, females were found to engage in drunkorexia mainly for enhancement motives. Conversely, drunkorexia in males was significantly predicted by difficulties regulating emotions. Conclusion: This research suggests that disordered eating and alcohol use similarly contribute to drunkorexia in male and female adolescents, even though highlights important gender differences.