Premium
Nonmedical prescription stimulant use for suppressing appetite and controlling body weight is uniquely associated with more severe eating disorder symptomatology
Author(s) -
Kilwein Tess M.,
Goodman Erica L.,
Looby Alison,
De Young Kyle P.
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.22534
Subject(s) - appetite , stimulant , medical prescription , psychology , eating disorders , binge eating disorder , poor appetite , psychiatry , obesity , binge eating , clinical psychology , medicine , bulimia nervosa , pharmacology
Objective Nonmedical prescription stimulant use (NPS; i.e., use without a prescription or in ways other than prescribed) to suppress appetite or control weight appears to be associated with eating disorder (ED) symptomatology among college students. However, it remains unknown if this relationship is motive‐specific and uniquely related to ED symptomatology. This research examined whether engaging in NPS specifically for appetite/weight‐related purposes is associated with ED symptomatology and a unique indicator of more severe symptomatology. Method A nonclinical sample of college students ( N = 668; 79% female) reported eating disorder symptoms via the Eating Pathology Symptoms Inventory and Eating Disorder Examination‐Questionnaire, and lifetime history of NPS and corresponding motives. Results Binge eating, body dissatisfaction, negative attitudes towards obesity, restricting, purging, and cognitive restraint were reported more frequently by students who endorsed NPS for weight/appetite‐related purposes than by those who used for other purposes or denied lifetime NPS. Additionally, NPS for appetite/weight‐related purposes was uniquely associated with ED symptomatology after adjusting for gender, lifetime NPS, and past‐month binge eating and purging. Discussion Engaging in NPS for appetite/weight‐related purposes is a unique indicator of ED symptomatology, highlighting the need to query for this behavior among individuals with an ED. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. (Int J Eat Disord 2016; 49:813–816)