PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS OF EATING, DRINKING, AND SMOKING IN ADULT WOMEN

Abstract

The psychological functions of eating, drinking, and smoking were analyzed in relation to the self-reported behaviors of 20 to 30 year old women. Participants were recruited from a range of sources, and the 766 volunteers generated two quasi-representative samples of 265 subjects each which matched each other and census data on a range of demographic variables. Eight scales of psychological functions were developed. In each domain, one scale reflected behavior aimed at relief of negative effect, and one scale reflected positively motivated behavior. In the eating domain, a third scale represented eating in response to external cues, and in the drinking domain there was a scale of socially motivated drinking. Psychometric properties of each scale were investigated. Multiple correlations between the scales and their criteria ranged from R = .63 to R = .75 reflecting the importance of the predictors studied. Functions were compared within and between behavioral domains and the role of habit was also compared across domains.