Personality features, disordered eating, and alcohol use among college students: A latent profile analysis

Eating disorder behaviors are highly comorbid with alcohol use problems. Researchers have examined personality features such as impulsivity and negative emotionality in those who engage in eating disorders and alcohol abuse to try to explain this association. This study is the first to use latent profile analysis to identify profiles based on the following measures: 1 - Schedule for Nonadaptive and Adaptive Personality 2 - Negative Temperament Scale, Eating Disorder Inventory, and 3 - Risk Composite Scale, UPPS Negative Urgency Scale, Drinking Motives Coping Scale, and Michigan Alcohol Screening Test. Participants were college students, who completed a series of questionnaires online. A six profile solution with gender as a covariate yielded the best combination of fit and theoretical value. The six profiles were as follows: low risk, negative temperament, moderate risk, college drinking, coping, and high urgency. The coping and high urgency profiles demonstrated the highest risk for disordered eating, and the high urgency profile showed the highest risk for alcohol abuse and alcohol-related problems. These results suggest that students who engage in both disordered eating and alcohol abuse behaviors may be differentiated by the mechanisms that drive the behaviors, such as impulsivity and coping motives.