Work

Food-restricted alcohol consumption: relation to psychopathology in college students

Year: 2021

Type: article

Abstract: Objective Food-restricted alcohol consumption (FRAC) is a growing concern among college students. We investigated demographic and lifestyle characteristics and psychiatric symptoms associated with FRAC. Participants: College students (n = 561) at a large southeastern university in the United States. Methods: Participants completed online self-reported questionnaires assessing past-year FRAC, demographic and lifestyle characteristics, and psychiatric symptoms. Results: The past-year prevalence of FRAC was 23.89%. In the bivariate analyses, students engaging in FRAC had higher mean scores of multiple psychiatric symptoms, reported more harmful or hazardous drinking and suicidality, and were more likely to report a history of an eating disorder than their peers without FRAC. In a hierarchical regression model, binge eating, cognitive restraint, self-reported history of an eating disorder, and harmful or hazardous drinking were significantly associated with FRAC (ps < 0.05) after other psychiatric symptoms were included in the model. Conclusion: Our findings stress the importance of heightened awareness of FRAC in college.

Source: Journal of American College Health

DOI: 10.1080/07448481.2021.1891915

Authors: Baiyu Qi, Addie Humphrey, Cynthia M. Bulik, Jessica H. Baker, Melissa A. Munn-Chernoff

Institutions: Boston University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Karolinska Institutet

Language: English

Topic: Eating Disorders and Behaviors

Subfield: Clinical Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

Funders: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institute of Mental Health, Center for Mental Health Services