Associations of neuroticism and impulsivity with binge eating in a nationally representative sample of adolescents in the United States

• Neuroticism and impulsivity were each positively associated with binge eating.
• Having high levels of both neuroticism and impulsivity was linked with binge eating.
• Combined neuroticism–impulsivity–binge eating association was stronger for females.

Binge eating behavior is a public health concern with serious physical and mental health consequences. Certain personality traits have been found to contribute to the development of eating disorders in clinical samples of youth, but little is known about associations between personality traits and binge eating in the general adolescent population. We examined the associations of neuroticism and impulsivity – both independently and in combination – with lifetime prevalence of binge eating, using nationally representative, cross-sectional data from the National Comorbidity Survey: Adolescent Supplement (n = 437). Neuroticism and impulsivity were each significantly associated with lifetime prevalence of binge eating (adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR] = 1.11, confidence interval [CI] = 1.07, 1.15, p < 0.001; aPR = 1.06, CI = 1.04, 1.09, p < 0.001, respectively). The combination of high neuroticism and high impulsivity was associated with higher lifetime binge eating than the combination of low neuroticism and low impulsivity (aPR = 3.72, CI = 2.45, 5.65, p < 0.001), and this association was stronger for female than male adolescents (females: aPR = 5.37, CI = 3.24, 8.91, p < 0.001 vs. males: aPR = 2.45, CI = 1.43, 4.22, p = 0.002). Our findings have implications for informing theories of etiology and interventions to target binge eating behaviors.