Addiction vulnerability and binge eating in women: Exploring reward sensitivity, affect regulation, impulsivity & weight/shape concerns

Almost 40% of individuals with eating disorders have a comorbid addiction. The current study examined weight/shape concerns as a potential moderator of the relation between the hypothesized latent factor addiction vulnerability (i.e., impairments in reward sensitivity, affect regulation and impulsivity) and binge eating. Undergraduate women (n = 272) with either high or low weight/shape concerns completed self-report measures examining reward sensitivity, emotion regulation, impulsivity and disordered (binge) eating. Results showed that (1) reward sensitivity, affect regulation and impulsivity all loaded onto a latent addiction vulnerability factor for both women with high and with low weight/shape concerns, (2) women with higher weight/shape concerns reported more impairment in these areas, and (3) weight/shape concerns moderated the relation between addiction vulnerability and binge eating. These findings suggest that underlying processes identified in addiction are present in individuals who binge eat, though weight/shape concerns may be a unique characteristic of disordered eating. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.