Abstract
Varied definitions of the construct impulsivity may account for inconsistencies in studies that examine its relationship to bulimic symptoms, pathological gambling, and alcohol abuse. We examined the influence of urgency, sensation seeking, lack of planning, and lack of persistence on these three addictive behavior patterns in 246 college students. In structural equation modeling analyses that included all four constructs, only urgency, defined as the tendency to act rashly when distressed, explained significant variance in symptom level for each of the three addictive behaviors. Sensation seeking related to frequency of gambling and drinking, but not to symptoms of abuse. Additionally, behavior specific expectancies moderated the effect of urgency on gambling for men and binge eating for women. Urgency may influence vulnerability to many types of addictive behaviors. However, whether or not individuals engage in drinking, gambling, or binge eating may be influenced by behavior specific expectancies.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 789-800 |
Number of pages | 12 |
Journal | Personality and Individual Differences |
Volume | 44 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Mar 2008 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:Portions of this research were supported by a University of Kentucky Research Challenge Trust Fellowship to Sarah Fischer. Portions of this research were supported by NIAAA grant # F31 AA014469-02 to Sarah Fischer, Under the supervision of Gregory T. Smith.
Keywords
- Alcohol
- Bulimia
- Eating disorders
- Gambling
- Impulsivity
- Sensation seeking
- Urgency
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Psychology