Major

Psychology

Advisor

Ferszt, Ginette

Advisor Department

Nursing, College of

Date

5-2017

Keywords

drunkorexia, eating disorders, substance abuse, binge drinking

Abstract

Amongst college campuses throughout the United States, binge drinking has become a major concern. It seems to be integrated into campus culture, and considered “normal behavior”. However, binge drinking is not without its consequences. There are programs and educational materials which warn about the dangers of binge drinking. While binge drinking behaviors are common, there are other troublesome behaviors that are experienced amongst college students which are not discussed as often. In addition, there is an increase in the integration of binge drinking and eating disorder behaviors. This behavior is referred to as “drunkorexia”. Drunkorexia involves the exhibition of eating disorder behavior, such as restricting calories or over-exercising, prior to or just after binge drinking. The direct motives for these behaviors are the focus of my Honors project.

The goal of my Honors project is to investigate the motives behind drunkorexia behaviors as they exist amongst college students. I am particularly interested in exploring if there are differences between genders. To address this issue, college students attending URI were asked to complete a survey which requests information about their binge drinking habits, their experience of eating disorder pathology, and the interaction between these two behaviors. Through this investigation, the analysis of gendered behaviors and ideas surrounding drunkorexia, eating disorder pathology, and binge drinking behavior will help to explore if there is a relationship among these factors.

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