Exploring weight control as motivation for illicit stimulant use
Abstract
Objective Research has highlighted a growing trend among young, adult women to initiate drug use for weight loss. With known suppressive effects on appetite, illicit stimulants (i.e., cocaine, amphetamine, methamphetamine, and ecstasy) may be particularly attractive to college women, who are at elevated risk for increased body dissatisfaction and experimenting with extreme weight loss techniques. The current study examines the association between risk factors and symptomatology of eating disorders and illicit stimulant use (ISU).Methods A preliminary study was conducted on a nonclinical sample of 131 drug-using, college women (16- to 24-years old). Participants reported internalization of the thin ideal, body dissatisfaction, disordered eating behavior, and current drug use as well as corresponding weight-related motivation.Results There were 15.3% of women who reported drug use for weight-control purposes. Results showed women who reported drug use for weight control predominantly used illicit stimulants (70%), such as cocaine, amphetamine, methamphetamine, and ecstasy. Moreover, the odds of ISU were increased among women who engaged in laxative misuse.Conclusions These results suggest that a desire for weight control may be associated with ISU among college women. Women engaging in more extreme weight loss behaviors are at high risk for initiating and maintaining ISU for weight-related reasons.
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In a non-treatment sample of drug-using women in a college setting, 15.3% reported drug use for weight control purposes.
“In a non-treatment sample of drug-using women (college setting), 15.3% reported drug use for weight control purposes [76].”
From Separating the Signal from the Noise: How Psychiatric Diagnoses Can Help Discern Food Addiction from Dietary Restraint (2020) · cites this paper as [76]
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- Authors
- Bruening, A. B., Perez, M., & Ohrt, T. K.
- Affiliations
- Arizona State University (US)
- Venue
- Eating Behaviors
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2018-08
- Volume
- 30
- Pages
- 72-75
- ISSN
- 1471-0153 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2807566587
- Cited by
- 43
- References
- 29
- Citations by year
- 2026: 8 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 2
- FWCI
- 3.81
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Eating Behaviors (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Eating Disorders and Behaviors
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
- Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Nutrition, Health and Food Behavior
- Keywords
- weight management, female university students, body dissatisfaction, thin-ideal internalization, disordered eating, laxative misuse, cocaine, amphetamine, methamphetamine, ecstasy, eating disorders, weight loss
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Central Nervous System Stimulants, Female, Humans, Motivation, Illicit Drugs, Students, Universities, Southwestern United States, Weight Loss, Substance-Related Disorders, Young Adult
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