Binge Eating Behaviors and Motoric, Attentional, and Nonplanning Impulsivity

Abstract

This study investigated the relationship between three distinct types of impulsivity (motoric, attentional, and nonplanning) and binge eating behaviors in 76 adult women. The participants completed a binge eating measure (Eating Disorder Diagnostic Scale) and an impulsivity measure (Barratt Impulsivity Scale). A significant difference was found between the impulsive behaviors of binge eaters and non-binge eaters, but binge eating alone was not significantly related to type of impulsivity. Post-hoc analysis demonstrated that binge eaters had significantly higher levels of attentional and nonplanning impulsivity than non-binge eaters. When we used participants’ scores from the extreme ends of the distribution, comparing binge eaters with non-binge eaters reporting no symptoms, the analysis demonstrated significantly higher levels of motoric impulsivity in addition to attentional and nonplanning impulsivity among binge eaters. The implications of these results are discussed, as are areas for future research.