The Role of Impulsivity in the Relationship of Body Dissatisfaction and Disordered Eating

The current study sought to expand upon existing literature by examining the potential moderation of impulsivity in the relationship of body dissatisfaction and disordered eating among adolescent males and females. Participants completed behavioral and self-report measures of impulsivity, body dissatisfaction, and disordered eating behaviors.

Results revealed gender differences in the moderation of behavioral impulsivity on eating behaviors. When examining males and females together, no significant moderation was found. Among females, impulsivity significantly moderated the relationship between body dissatisfaction and scores on the Eating Concern Scale (?=.234, t(53)=2.072, p=.043). However, there were several significant findings for male participants. Impulsivity significantly moderated the relationship between body dissatisfaction and Restraint (?=-.378, t(50)=-2.681, p=.010), Shape Concern (?=-.299, t(50)=-2.189, p=.035), Global Scale (?=-.284, t(50)=-2.056, p=.045), and Days of Loss of Control while Binging (?=.418, t(50)=2.904, p=.006). The self-report measures of impulsivity revealed significant (p<.05) moderation of impulsivity for males and females in the relationship of body dissatisfaction and scores on the Shape Concern, Weight Concern, and Global scales. Clinical implications and the importance of impulsivity in addressing eating concerns among adolescents are discussed.