Open AccessDrunkorexia: empirical investigation and analysis of the characteristics of the phenomenon in an Italian sample of adolescents and young adults
Author(s) -
Giada Pietrabissa,
A. Rossi,
Michela Gaudenzi,
Vanessa Bertuzzi,
Andrea Tagliagambe,
Clarissa Volpi,
Gian Mauro Manzoni,
Roberto Cattivelli,
Stefania Mannarini,
Gianluca Castelnuovo,
Susan Simpson
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
psychology, society and education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.179
H-Index - 8
eISSN - 2171-2085
pISSN - 1989-709X
DOI - 10.25115/psye.v10i3.2135
Subject(s) - descriptive statistics , psychological intervention , psychology , sample (material) , disordered eating , eating disorders , clinical psychology , demography , developmental psychology , psychiatry , statistics , chemistry , mathematics , chromatography , sociology
the term drunkorexia refers to the act of self-imposed utilization of extreme weight control methods to compensate for alcohol consumption typically observed among university students. Despite its diffusion, there is a lack of research investigating the presence of this new alarming trend in Italy. Aim: this study estimates the frequency of drunkorexia behaviours in a sample of Italian youth aged 14-24, explores the motivations for alcohol consumption among those presenting drunkorexia-type behaviours, and examines the relationship between drunkorexia and disordered eating. Methods: drunkorexia behaviors, eating habits and motives for alcohol use were investigated in 403 subjects (F=301, M=102) aged 14-24 through self-report questionnaires. A series of analyses, including descriptive statistics, univariate analysis of the variance and multiple regressions were run. Results: 62.5% of the sample showed drunkorexia-type behaviours. Drunkorexia was related to disordered eating, especially among females older than eighteen. Discussion and Conclusions: this the first study investigating the incidence of drunkorexia behaviors in a sample of youth living in Northern Italy. Evidence-based interventions for eating disorders and drinking problems should inspire the development of ad hoc preventive and treatment actions for drunkorexia.