Food and Alcohol Disturbance Among College Women: Examining the Role of Internalization of Body Ideals and Descriptive Norms.

Abstract

Food and alcohol disturbance (FAD) involves caloric restriction and/or compensation before, during, and/or after the consumption of alcohol in order to enhance the effects of drinking and/or prevent weight gain. The aim of the present study was to examine the role of body ideal internalization (thin, muscular, fit), descriptive norms (DN), and their interaction in FAD among college women. While previous research has found associations between internalization of the body ideals and FAD (Hill et al., 2019; Hill & Nolan, 2021), there is a need to examine all three simultaneously. Additionally, descriptive norms play a powerful role in alcohol use and have been linked to FAD (Hill & Ruark, 2022)-thus, examining their role and possible interaction with body ideals is an important endeavor. The study consisted of 460 undergraduate women from a university in the northeastern United States. Participants completed an online survey that included the Compensatory Eating and Behaviors in Response to Alcohol Consumption Scale (CEBRACS; Rahal et al., 2012), the Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire-4 Revised-Female (SATAQ-4R-Female; Schaefer et al., 2017), the Fit Ideal Internalization Test (FIIT; Uhlmann et al., 2020), and a measure of FAD DN (Hill & Ruark, 2022). Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that DN interacted with internalization of the thin ideal for the models with FAD-dietary restraint and exercise and FAD-restriction as the outcome variables. At very low levels of DN, the relationship between internalization of the thin ideal and FAD outcomes was not significant. Internalization of the fit ideal was the strongest predictor across all models, except for alcohol effects. Our results reveal that internalization of the fit and thin ideals and DN are important variables to consider in terms of FAD; in this area of study, they should be considered in clinical settings and future research.