The relationship between disordered eating behavior and drinking motives in college-age women

Previous research has documented that alcohol use disorders and eating disorders often co-occur. One possible reason for these high rates of co-occurrence is that problematic eating and alcohol use serve similar functions for the persons engaging in them. In particular, both have been hypothesized to serve an avoidant coping function. This study was designed to examine the relationships between drinking motives and disordered eating in a sample of college-age women. A total of 257 women completed the Eating Attitudes Test-26 (EAT-26), Rutgers Alcohol Problems Index (RAPI), and Drinking Motives Measure (DMM). As hypothesized, problematic eating and problematic drinking were positively correlated. Also, regression analyses indicated a strong relationship between problematic eating and the coping scale of the DMM, which measures avoidant coping. This study extends previous research and provides support for the idea that problematic eating and problematic drinking serve similar avoidant coping functions. This line of research may hold important implications for treatment interventions targeting comorbid alcohol use disorders and eating disorders.