A Cross-Lagged Evaluation of Eating Disorder Symptomatology and Substance-Use Problems

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to conduct a temporal examination of the associations among disordered eating behaviors, substance use, and use-related negative consequences in female college students-a population at high risk for developing eating and substance-use disorders. METHOD: Participants completed assessments of disordered eating behaviors, alcohol and drug use, and use-related negative consequences. RESULTS: Results support previous research suggesting that disordered eating behaviors are more strongly associated with alcohol- and substance-related problems rather than use per se. With respect to temporal precedence, results indicated that binge eating preceded alcohol-use problems, but a bidirectional relationship was found for vomiting. With regard to drug problems, laxatives use preceded drug problems, whereas drug problems preceded fasting. These associations were not better accounted for by pre-existing eating or substance-use problems or psychiatric distress (e.g., depression, anxiety). CONCLUSIONS: This study further supports the importance of assessing consequences, in addition to use patterns, when examining substance use in individuals demonstrating threshold and subthreshold eating-disordered behaviors.