Self-control in relation to problem drinking and symptoms of disordered eating

The present study investigated problem drinking and symptoms of disordered eating in relation to (a) restrained drinking and eating, and (b) cognitive self-control. One hundred and ninety-eight high school students (97 males and 101 females; mean age = 16.45 years) completed questionnaires that assessed problem drinking, symptoms of disordered eating, restrained eating and drinking, and cognitive self-control. Using principal components analysis, three factors with eigenvalues greater than 1 were found to summarize the interrelationships among the examined measures. For both sexes, the first two factors primarily reflected problem drinking and restrained drinking, and problem eating and restrained eating, respectively. The third factor reflected a more general problem with control underlying aspects of both problem drinking and problem eating.