Abstract
PurposeThe association of bulimic symptoms with sensation seeking is uncertain; however, both behaviors have been linked to alcohol problems. We assessed in a longitudinal, community-based setting whether sensation seeking in adolescence is associated with bulimic symptoms in early adulthood, also accounting for alcohol problems.MethodsFinnish men (N = 2000) and women (N = 2467) born between 1974–1979 completed Zuckerman’s sensation seeking scale (SSS) at age 18. Alcohol problems (Malmö-modified Michigan alcoholism screening test (Mm-MAST) and bulimic symptoms [eating disorder inventory-2, bulimia subscale (EDI-Bulimia), population and clinical scoring systems] were defined at age 22–27. We examined relationships between SSS, Mm-MAST, and EDI-Bulimia using Pearson’s correlation coefficient (r) and linear regression.ResultsAlcohol problems were moderately correlated with sensation seeking and bulimic symptoms (population scoring) among women and men (r = 0.21–0.31). The correlation between sensation seeking and bulimic symptoms (population scoring) was weak among men (r = 0.06, p = 0.006) and even weaker and non-significant among women (r = 0.03, p = 0.214). Adjustment for alcohol problems removed the association between sensation seeking and bulimic symptoms among men. Furthermore, there were no significant correlations between sensation seeking and bulimic symptoms when assessing EDI-Bulimia clinical scoring.ConclusionSensation seeking and bulimic symptoms were not associated among women. The association between sensation seeking and bulimic symptoms among men was entirely attributable to increased alcohol problems among those with higher sensation seeking. While this association may be important on the population level, its clinical significance may be minor.Level of evidenceLevel III, well-designed cohort study.
Highlights
Personality traits that help to identify individuals with a high risk of future eating-related problems could be useful in clinical practice
Sensation seeking was weakly associated with later bulimic symptoms among men when eating disorder inventory (EDI)-Bulimia population scoring was assessed (r = 0.06, p = 0.006), but the association turned non-significant when assessing the clinical scoring (r = 0.03, p = 0.166)
Community-based study that spanned from adolescence to young adulthood, we found that sensation seeking at the age of 18 was weakly associated with bulimic symptoms at age 22–27 among men
Summary
Personality traits that help to identify individuals with a high risk of future eating-related problems could be useful in clinical practice. Most of the existing community studies have shown either no association between sensation seeking and bulimic symptoms [10, 11, 13] or a mild negative correlation [12], and only one with a cross-sectional setting a positive correlation even after controlling for other psychiatric comorbidities such as victimization experiences and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) [14] These findings differ from some studies based on clinical samples [1, 15] or other limited populations, such as university students [2, 16,17,18], which indicate that sensation seeking is positively correlated with bulimic symptoms. We do not know whether sensation seeking in adolescence is associated with later bulimic symptoms in adulthood
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