Disordered eating and alcohol consumption among adolescents: the role of motivations and emotion regulation

The present dissertation was aimed to better understand and clarify the potential mechanisms and dynamics underlying three common heath-risk behaviors among adolescents, which refer both to alcohol use and disordered eating, such as binging behaviors (binge drinking and binge eating) and drunkorexia. Specifically, Study 1 was aimed to examine the motivations that can lead adolescents to engage in binge drinking and binge eating. Although there is a growing interest in analyzing the reasons why some individuals repeatedly engage in eating and drinking behaviors, only few studies have investigated the motivations for binging behaviors in adolescents and, moreover, to our knowledge no study no far has explored underlying motives for both of these behaviors. Study 2 was aimed at contributing to the investigation of drunkorexia, a behavior that only recently has caught the interest of scholars and thus, research on drunkorexia is still understudied especially among adolescents. The goal of the present study was threefold; the first goal was to examine the relation between drunkorexia and various disordered eating behaviors, as well as aspects of alcohol use in male and female adolescents. More specifically, we aimed to explore whether drunkorexia was most strongly related to disorder eating or alcohol use. Furthermore, the second goal was to investigate motivations that may drive adolescents to engage in drunkorexia. The third and last goal was to explore the association between drunkorexia and different dimensions of emotion dysregulation; to our knowledge, this is the first attempt addressed to his topic. Our results showed that binge drinking and binge eating may be triggered by the same motivations; adolescents may be motivated by the desire and need to regulate their emotions, because probably they have not learned to use more adaptive and healthy strategies, especially when they experience intense negative emotions. Furthermore, our findings suggest that adolescents may also engage in both binging behaviors because of driven by social reasons; thus, food or alcohol may be consumed when adolescents are involved in social activities, where probably they are more exposed and sensitive to peer pressure to adhere to eating and drinking norms. Thus, the current study support the argument that the motivations underlying both binging behaviors may be similar and perform the same function. In addition, our work have provided further information on drunkorexia; in particular, the present results highlighted that both disordered eating and alcohol use contribute to drunkorexia in male and female adolescents; specifically, the use of fasting and engaging in binge drinking and getting drunk were found to play an important role in predicting drunkorexia in both males and females. Our results highlighted also important gender differences; females were more likely than males, to report preoccupation with dieting and weight, concern about gaining weight and the use of laxatives as eating behaviors exhibited prior to consuming alcohol beverages. Moreover, females were resulted to engage in drunkorexia mainly because of enhancement motives; thus, drunkorexia seems to be used as a strategy to enhance positive affect, such as to have fun or to get high when they drink. Conversely, males seem to be characterized by eating patterns which involve alternation of excess and deprivation that results in constantly limiting caloric intake often accompained by binge eating episodes, probably triggered by aversive emotional states. Indeed, our results suggest that drunkorexia in males is significantly predicted by difficulties regulating emotions; specifically male adolescents reported difficulties controlling impulsive behaviors when they experience negative emotions and clarity regarding their emotional responses.