Grant: Master's Award: Canada Graduate Scholarships

This study aims to clarify if impulsivity acts as a predictor or covariate of disordered eating (DE), and if this temporal relationship changes between DE subtypes. Studies have yet to directly examine the role of impulsivity in the etiological model of DE onset. Longitudinal methods are required to tease apart temporal relationships among risk constructs before, during, and after the onset of symptomology, to clarify the role of impulsivity in DE. It has been found that individuals with higher levels of impulsivity display more binge/purge symptoms, whereas those who have lower impulsivity tend to display more restrictive symptoms. However, it is unclear if having higher versus lower impulsive tendencies upon onset of DE determine the nature of the symptom profile (B/P versus R respectively), or if impulsivity changes after the onset of DE in accordance with symptom profile.The distinction between symptom profiles is crucial as different DE symptomologies are related to different physiological consequences, prognosis, and treatment.The proposed study will employ 500 undergraduate female students and assess levels of DE and impulsivity using self-report measures at 8 time points (spanning 8 months). The objective is to examine: 1) how impulsivity co-varies with severity of DE (examine the relationship of impulsivity and DE within and between time points) and 2) examine how this temporal relationship may vary between DE subtypes. This study will clarify the role of impulsivity, formally testing its function as a precipitating or perpetuating factor in DE symptomology. This information has important implications for diagnosis, intervention and prevention of DE, a prevalent health risk behaviour among students.