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Risky drinking behaviors among women with eating disorders—A longitudinal community‐based study
Author(s) -
Mustelin Linda,
Latvala Antti,
Raevuori Anu,
Rose Richard J.,
Kaprio Jaakko,
KeskiRahkonen Anna
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
international journal of eating disorders
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.785
H-Index - 138
eISSN - 1098-108X
pISSN - 0276-3478
DOI - 10.1002/eat.22526
Subject(s) - eating disorders , bulimia nervosa , anorexia nervosa , psychology , young adult , population , psychiatry , alcohol intoxication , alcohol dependence , alcohol use disorder , poison control , medicine , injury prevention , alcohol , developmental psychology , environmental health , biochemistry , chemistry
Objective Eating disorders and alcohol use disorders often co‐occur, but few prospective studies have examined their relationship. Using a large population‐based twin sample, we investigated how the drinking behaviors of women with lifetime eating disorders unfold from adolescence to adulthood. Method We identified 182 women with a lifetime eating disorder assessed at mean age 24, including 92 women with DSM‐5 anorexia nervosa and 58 women with DSM‐5 bulimia nervosa, from the 1975–1979 birth cohorts of Finnish twins ( N = 2,825 women). Frequency of drinking and intoxicating were assessed at ages 16, 24, and 34. Drinking problems were assessed at ages 24 and 34 by the Malmö‐modified Michigan Alcohol Screening Test (Mm‐Mast) and the Rutgers Alcohol Problem Index (RAPI). Results At age 16, proportionately more women with eating disorders reported being severely intoxicated when they last drank (25% vs.16%, P = 0.001), and at both surveys in adulthood, they reported more frequent intoxication and more alcohol‐related problems than their unaffected peers. Those who had recovered from their eating disorder at age 24 still reported more alcohol‐related problems in their 30s than did other women. The age of drinking onset, number of monthly drinking days, or frequency of intoxication in adolescence did not differ between women with lifetime eating disorders and unaffected women. Discussion Women with eating disorders scored higher than their unaffected peers on scales measuring alcohol dependence, alcohol‐related problems, and intoxication. These differences persisted from mid‐adolescence into young adulthood. Women with eating disorders should be assessed routinely for drinking behaviors. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. (Int J Eat Disord 2016; 49:563–571)