(PS8-A8) Negative and Positive Urgency Moderate the Relationship Between Trauma Severity and Purging Behaviors

Saturday, November 19, 2022

12:00 PM – 1:00 PM EST

Location: Westside Ballroom, 5th Floor

Author(s)

MH

Mattison Hale, None

Research Assistant
University of Louisville
Raceland, Kentucky

Co-Author(s)

TP

Taylor E. Penwell, PhD

Study Coordinator
University of Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky
SS

Samantha P. Spoor, B.S.

Graduate Student
University of Wyoming
Laramie, Wyoming
CL

Cheri A. Levinson, Ph.D.

Associate Professor
University of Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky

Intro: Individuals with eating disorders (EDs) often engage in harmful compensatory behaviors, such as purging, that negatively impact health. Purging is a category of compensatory behaviors (e.g., in response to objective or subjective overconsumption of food) that can be characterized by self-induced vomiting or by laxative or diuretic misuse. Often, purging occurs in the context of negative and positive urgency (i.e., the tendency to engage in risky behavior when experiencing negative emotions and positive emotions respectively; Culbert et al., 2016). EDs are frequently accompanied by other conditions, such as trauma (Rienecke et al., 2021). While negative and positive urgency are both implicated in purging behaviors, (Fischer et al., 2013) and symptoms of trauma (Weiss et al., 2015), little is known about the associations between trauma symptoms, negative/positive urgency, and purging. The purpose of this study (N=305) is to explore the unique relationships among trauma, negative/positive urgency, and purging behaviors among undergraduates recruited with high ED symptoms. We hypothesized that the association between trauma and purging behaviors would depend on positive and negative urgency, such that as urgency increases, the strength of the association between trauma and purging would increase. Methods: Participants were undergraduate students aged 18-29 years old who presented with clinically elevated ED symptoms (i.e., EDE-Q score greater than or equal to 2.3; Mond et al., 2004). The majority of the participants were white (n= 225, 74%) and cisgender women (n= 237, 78%). Multiple regression was used to analyze the hypothesized moderating effects of positive and negative urgency on the relationship between trauma severity and purging behaviors.

Results: The interaction effects of 1) negative urgency and trauma and 2) positive urgency and trauma on purging were significant (p’s ≦ .046). Simple slope analyses showed that for those with either higher negative urgency (t = 4.02, p < .001) or higher positive urgency (t = 3.49, p = .001) higher trauma severity is associated with more purging behaviors, and lower trauma severity is associated with less purging behaviors. These relationships were not significant for those with low negative urgency or low positive urgency.

Discussion: The current study highlights the potential importance of high negative and positive urgency on the relationship between trauma severity and purging behaviors. Consequently, targeting emotional regulation, specifically negative and positive urgency, in treatment may reduce trauma symptoms and possibly even the frequency of purging behaviors.