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Is laxative misuse associated with binge eating? Examination of laxative misuse among individuals seeking treatment for eating disorders
Author(s) -
ElranBarak Roni,
Goldschmidt Andrea B.,
Crow Scott J.,
Peterson Carol B.,
Hill Laura,
Crosby Ross D.,
Mitchell James E.,
Le Grange Daniel
Publication year - 2017
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.22745
Subject(s) - laxative , binge eating , bulimia nervosa , psychiatry , eating disorders , medicine , anorexia nervosa , cathartic , psychology , constipation
Objective Our research focuses on laxative misuse, which has been understudied in previous eating disorders (ED) research, to understand its prevalence and correlates among individuals seeking ED treatment. We also test the association between laxative misuse and binge eating to examine the assumption that laxative misuse is intended to compensate for binge eating. Method Participants were 2,295 ED treatment‐seeking adults (29.5 ± 10.5) who self‐reported their disordered eating behaviors on the Eating Disorder Questionnaire. Participants met DSM‐5 diagnostic criteria for anorexia nervosa (AN: 11.5%, n = 264), bulimia nervosa (BN: 39.0%, n = 896), binge‐eating disorder (14.9%, n = 343), or other specified feeding or eating disorder (34.5%, n = 792). Results Nearly 25% of participants ( n = 571) reported misusing laxatives during the last month. Laxative misusers with AN reported significantly higher frequency of laxative misuse relative to misusers with BN ( F (1,440) = 5.226, p = .023,η p 2= .012). Among laxative misusers, there was no association between frequency of binge eating and frequency of laxative misuse. Discussion Laxative misusers with AN tend to misuse laxatives more frequently than those with BN. Binge eating was not related to laxative misuse in our sample. Future research may use real‐time data collection to understand the function of laxative misuse and to validate our cross‐sectional findings.