title: Gender differences in the relationship between impulsivity and disordered eating behaviors and attitudes.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We investigated relationships among gender, impulsivity and disordered eating in healthy college students.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants (N=1223) were healthy, undergraduate men (28.5%) and women (71.5%), who completed the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale - Version 11 (BIS-11) and a four-factor version of the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-16).
  
  
  RESULTS
  As predicted, mean scores on all four EAT-16 factors were significantly higher for women than for men. Attentional impulsivity was related to poorer self-perception of body shape, more dieting, and a greater preoccupation with food for the sample as a whole. Moreover, motor impulsivity was related to poorer self-perceptions of body shape and a greater preoccupation with food. However, no gender differences emerged in the relationship between impulsivity and disordered eating attitudes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study elucidates the role of impulsivity in disordered eating behaviors among non-clinical college students. For both women and men, attentional and motor impulsivity were related to disordered eating attitudes and behaviors. Overall, these findings suggest that different facets of impulsivity are related to disordered eating attitudes and behaviors in a non-clinical college population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, 238 Burnett Hall, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588-0308, USA.
authors.forename: Alyssa
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lundahl
authors.affiliation: Central Texas Veterans Health Care System Temple, TX 76504, USA.
authors.forename: Laura C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Wahlstrom
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, 238 Burnett Hall, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588-0308, USA.
authors.forename: Christa C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Christ
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, 238 Burnett Hall, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588-0308, USA. Electronic address: sstoltenberg2@unl.edu.
authors.forename: Scott F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Stoltenberg
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001290:Attitude; D001828:Body Image / Q000523:psychology; D004032:Diet / Q000523:psychology; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007175:Impulsive Behavior; D008297:Male; D015146:Midwestern United States; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012737:Sex Factors; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Disordered eating; Gender differences; Impulsiveness; Non-clinical