Patterns of associations between eating disordered behaviors and substance use in two non-clinical samples: A university and a community based sample

Abstract

This study examined shared patterns of associations between disordered eating behaviors and substance use in two different non-clinical samples of young women. Participants were recruited from a university (526 women) and varied community (517 women) settings. Participants completed the Women’s Health Survey, examining engagement in a wide range of licit and illicit substances and disordered eating patterns during the past 12 months. In both samples, the cluster of bingeing, dieting and purging was significantly associated with binge drinking, drinking associated with negative consequences, and with cocaine use. The cluster of dieting and purging was associated with the use of stimulants/amphetamines. Health services, including assessment and treatment, and health promotion activities, should consider these patterns of comorbidity.