Psychological characteristics and eating attitudes in adolescents with drunkorexia behavior: an exploratory study

Purpose: Drunkorexia represents an emerging phenomenon that is still understudied especially among adolescents. The present study aimed to investigate the relation between drunkorexia and psychological characteristics relevant and commonly associated with existing forms of eating disorders. Methods: The sample was composed of 849 adolescents (513 boys, 334 girls, 2 unknown; range 14–22) who completed a survey composed of Compensatory Eating and Behaviors in Response to Alcohol Consumption Scale and Psychological scales of the Eating Disorders Inventory-3. Results: Our findings highlighted that drunkorexia was associated with low self-esteem, personal alienation, interoceptive deficits, emotional dysregulation, and asceticism. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis indicated that difficulties with emotion regulation and ascetic tendencies were significant predictors of drunkorexia among adolescents. Conclusions: Our findings suggest the importance for programs preventing drunkorexia to be focused on training adolescents in using more adaptive strategies to manage emotions and accepting both emotional and physical signals without feeling guilty or threatened. Level of evidence: Level V, descriptive study.