The association of alcohol use and positive and negative urgency to same day objective binge eating in emerging adults

IntroductionObjective binge eating and problematic alcohol use often co-occur and are common behaviors in emerging adults. Both behaviors are thought to be driven by affect regulation processes. Objective binge eating often occurs in the context of increasing or acute negative affect, and often occurs in solitude. Alcohol use in emerging adults can also be associated with negative affect regulation. However, in contrast to objective binge eating, a large body of research indicates that there are positively valenced pathways to alcohol use in this age group. Emerging adults often drink socially, to enhance enjoyment, and in the context of positive mood. We propose that one pathway to objective binge eating in this developmental period is through alcohol use itself, such that emerging adults who consume alcohol and who are more likely to act impulsively in the context of positive emotion (i.e., have high levels of positive urgency) may be more likely to binge eat following drinking.MethodsWe collected data using ecological momentary assessment in 106 undergraduates on positive and negative affect, motives for drinking and eating, and alcohol use and objective binge eating, in addition to baseline questionnaires of impulsivity.ResultsThere were no significant changes in affect prior to drinking in this sample. Alcohol use at one time point significantly increased odds of objective binge eating at a later time point in the same day. Individual differences in positive urgency, the tendency to act rashly while experiencing positive affect, were also associated with increased odds of objective binge eating that occurred after alcohol use. Individual differences in negative urgency, the tendency to act rashly after experiencing negative affect, did not have a main effect on objective binge episodes, but did interact with alcohol use to increase the odds of objective binge eating following drinking. The vast majority of drinking episodes prior to objective binge eating were social drinking episodes, and participants most commonly endorsed "to have fun" as a reason for drinking.DiscussionResults suggest that alcohol consumption may increase risk for objective binge eating in emerging adults

Psychiatric diagnoses, trauma, and suicidiality

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to examine the associations between psychiatric diagnoses, trauma and suicidiality in psychiatric patients at intake. METHODS: During two months, all consecutive patients (n = 139) in a psychiatric hospital in Western Norway were interviewed (response rate 72%). RESULTS: Ninety-one percent had been exposed to at least one trauma; 69 percent had been repeatedly exposed to trauma for longer periods of time. Only 7% acquired a PTSD diagnosis. The comorbidity of PTSD and other psychiatric diagnoses were 78%. A number of diagnoses were associated with specific traumas. Sixty-seven percent of the patients reported suicidal thoughts in the month prior to intake; thirty-one percent had attempted suicide in the preceding week. Suicidal ideation, self-harming behaviour, and suicide attempts were associated with specific traumas. CONCLUSION: Traumatised patients appear to be under- or misdiagnosed which could have an impact on the efficiency of treatment

The Impact of the 2009 Red River Flood on Interpersonal Risk Factors for Suicide

Background: Natural disasters are frequently associated with increases in risk factors for suicide, yet research indicates that suicide rates tend to stay the same or decrease in the wake of disasters (e.g., Krug et al., 1999 ). Aims: The present research sought to shed light on this counterintuitive phenomenon by testing hypotheses derived from Joiner’s (2005 ) interpersonal-psychological theory of suicidal behavior, which proposes that the desire to die by suicide is the result of feeling like one does not belong and feeling like one is a burden on others. During natural disasters, community members often pull together in volunteering efforts, and it was predicted that such behaviors would boost feelings of belonging and reduce feelings that one is a burden. Methods: The present study tested these predictions in a sample of 210 undergraduate students in Fargo, North Dakota, following the 2009 Red River Flood. Results: Consistent with prediction, greater amounts of time spent volunteering in flood efforts were associated with increased feelings of belongingness and decreased feelings of burdensomeness. Conclusions: The findings in the current study are consistent with the notion that communities pulling together during a natural disaster can reduce interpersonal risk factors associated with the desire for suicide. </jats:p

Negative affect and binge eating: Assessing the unique trajectories of negative affect before and after binge‐eating episodes across eating disorder diagnostic classifications

ObjectiveEcological momentary assessment (EMA) studies suggest that among individuals who binge eat, emotional states and binge eating are functionally related. However, it is unclear whether the trajectory of negative affect (NA) is the same across diagnostic groups or if specific changes in affect are unique to each diagnostic category. This study examined the moderating effect of diagnosis on the trajectory of negative affect before and after binge eating.MethodAdults with eating disorder diagnoses (anorexia nervosa [AN]&nbsp;=&nbsp;118, bulimia nervosa [BN]&nbsp;=&nbsp;133, binge-eating disorder [BED]&nbsp;=&nbsp;112) completed an EMA where they reported binge eating and negative affect throughout the day. Generalized estimating equation analyses were used to model the trajectories of NA before and after binge eating.ResultsFor all individuals, the linear trajectory of NA significantly increased before (B&nbsp;=&nbsp;0.044, p &lt; .001) and decreased following the binge-eating episode (B&nbsp;=&nbsp;-0.054, p &lt; .001). However, diagnosis moderated this trajectory. Specifically, individuals with BN had a greater change in linear trajectories of NA before (B&nbsp;=&nbsp;2.305, p &lt; .001) and after (B&nbsp;=&nbsp;-4.149, p &lt; .001) binge eating compared to those with BED, but not those with AN. There were no differences in the trajectory of NA between individuals with BED or AN.DiscussionThese findings suggest that binge-eating episodes in BN may be more strongly associated with NA than in BED, but similar to binge-eating episodes in AN

The moderating effect of impulsivity on negative affect and body checking

This study examined the moderating effects of different aspects of trait impulsivity on trajectories of negative affect prior to and following body checking in the natural environment in women with anorexia nervosa (AN). Body checking is a compulsive behavior that may maintain the cycle of eating disordered behavior through negative reinforcement. Previous studies regarding the relationship of negative affect to body checking have been inconsistent, making it unclear how negative affect functions as an antecedent to this behavior in the natural environment. We hypothesized that individual differences in trait impulsivity may influence body checking in response to negative affect. Negative urgency (NU) (the tendency to act rashly under distress) and (lack of) perseverance (the tendency to give up on goal directed behavior) may be unique facets of impulsivity that play a role in body checking. Women with AN (n = 82) completed a self-report measure of impulsivity and used ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to record negative affect and body checking for two weeks. Results indicated that women with low (lack of) perseverance experienced a greater increase in negative affect than those with high (lack of) perseverance prior to and following body checking. Overall, results indicate that individual differences in trait impulsivity moderated the relationship of negative affect to body checking in women with AN