Understanding the association of impulsivity, obsessions, and compulsions with binge eating and purging behaviours in anorexia nervosa.

OBJECTIVE To further refine our understanding of impulsivity, obsessions, and compulsions in anorexia nervosa (AN) by isolating which behaviours--binge eating, purging, or both--are associated with these features. METHODS We conducted regression analyses with binge eating, purging, and the interaction of binge eating with purging as individual predictors of scores for impulsivity, obsessions, and compulsions in two samples of women with AN (n = 1373). RESULTS Purging, but not binge eating, was associated with higher scores on impulsivity, obsessions, and compulsions. Purging was also associated with worst eating rituals and with worst eating preoccupations. CONCLUSION Our results suggest that purging, compared with binge eating, may be a stronger correlate of impulsivity, obsessions, and compulsions in AN.