Drunkorexia behaviors and motives, eating attitudes and mental health in Lebanese alcohol drinkers: a path analysis model

BACKGROUND: Drunkorexia refers to limited intake of high-calorie food to avert gaining weight and the need to increase in alcohol excessive consumption. The present study aimed to check for an association between depression, anxiety, and stress with drunkorexia behaviors/motives among Lebanese adults, while evaluating the mediating role of inappropriate eating attitude in those associations. METHODS: Two hundred and fifty-eight participants enrolled in this cross-sectional study, who filled an online survey (September–December 2020). RESULTS: Drunkorexia behaviors were considered as the dependent variable; the path coefficients from stress to anxiety, from anxiety to eating attitudes, from eating attitudes to drunkorexia behaviors and from anxiety to drunkorexia behaviors were all significant. The indirect relationships showed that eating attitudes mediated the association between anxiety and drunkorexia behaviors. When taking the drunkorexia motives as the dependent variable, the path coefficients from stress to anxiety, from anxiety to eating attitudes, from eating attitudes to drunkorexia motives, and from anxiety to drunkorexia motives were all significant. The indirect relationships showed that eating attitudes mediated the association between anxiety and drunkorexia motives. CONCLUSION: This study highlighted that individuals with more psychological problems (depression, anxiety, and stress) and inappropriate eating habits exhibit more drunkorexic motivations and behaviors. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level V, Cross-sectional study.