An Examination of Food and Alcohol Disturbance Based on Sexual Orientation in a Sample of Women who Binge Eat

Food and alcohol disturbance (FAD), characterized by disordered eating behaviors in the context of drinking alcohol to enhance intoxication, counteract alcohol’s calories, or both, is associated with increased risk of negative drinking consequences. Previously established as a phenomenon occurring in college students, research has begun to support that FAD may also occur in nonstudents. Three particularly vulnerable groups for FAD may include women, individuals with history of binge eating, as well as sexual minority individuals. Consequently, the goals of the current study were to elucidate differences in FAD engagement between sexual minority women (SMW) and heterosexual women using a sample of diverse young adult women with current binge eating behaviors. This study aimed to (1) compare frequency of FAD endorsement between heterosexual women and SMW, (2) examine the associations between FAD frequency and alcohol outcomes, as moderated by women’s sexual orientation, (3) examine the associations between different FAD behavior types and alcohol outcomes, as moderated by sexual orientation, and (4) evaluate the association between minority stress and FAD in SMW. Data for the current study came from a parent study examining disordered eating in a diverse sample of women who had recent history of binge eating behaviors and alcohol use (N = 216; 49.54% heterosexual; 50.46% SMW). Results suggested no difference in frequency of FAD between heterosexual women and SMW. While FAD frequency was positively associated with drinking consequences, women’s sexual orientation did not moderate this association. Lastly, minority stress was positively associated with FAD frequency for SMW. This study demonstrates need for additional research examining FAD in underrepresented (i.e., nonstudent) populations. Additionally, findings support the positive association between FAD and alcohol consequences in women who binge eat. This may indicate a need for clinicians to monitor alcohol use in women who binge eat to help reduce their risk for drinking consequences. While the current study utilized a diverse sample, future studies should recruit more diverse sexual minority subgroups across the spectrum of sexual attraction and behavior to evaluate if and how FAD differs within the sexual minority population.