Mapping anxiety symptoms and disordered eating using the EPSI: a latent profile analysis accounting for peak alcohol use
Abstract Objective Disordered eating (DE) is associated with a plethora of psychological risk factors, including anxiety and substance use disorders. The Eating Pathology Symptoms Inventory (EPSI) is a validated questionnaire to assess DE. There are no latent profile analyses (LPA) of the EPSI that...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
BMC
2025-06-01
|
| Series: | Journal of Eating Disorders |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40337-025-01299-7 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| Summary: | Abstract Objective Disordered eating (DE) is associated with a plethora of psychological risk factors, including anxiety and substance use disorders. The Eating Pathology Symptoms Inventory (EPSI) is a validated questionnaire to assess DE. There are no latent profile analyses (LPA) of the EPSI that also examines these profiles with regards to important psychological risk factors. The purpose of this study was to fill that gap by examining latent profiles of the EPSI subscales with respect to anxiety, distress tolerance, anxiety sensitivity, and alcohol use. Methods The sample comprised of 1,362 college students from a midwestern university who participated in an online health survey. The EPSI scale profiles were identified using LPA with robust maximum likelihood estimation, and analyses were run to determine if the profiles differed across anxiety, anxiety sensitivity, distress tolerance, and alcohol use. Results A five-profile solution was found to be optimal (entropy > 0.96). Profile 1 (9.7%) is defined as Excessive Exercise & Muscle Building; Profile 2 (54.1%) is a profile of Low Disordered Eating. Profile 3 (20.2%) was Body Dissatisfaction & Binge Restrict Cycle, which illustrated a potential Anorexia Binge-Purge subtype. Profile 4 (8%) was defined by Moderate Disordered Eating and Bingeing. Finally, Profile 5 (7.9%) was expressed as High Disordered Eating and was associated with high levels of anxiety and alcohol problems. Conclusions Several latent profiles were found for the EPSI subscales and Profile 5 represented the most problematic levels. Identifying this subgroup of college students may help understand the unique presentations of DE among this population and lead future directions for how to address these intersectional student mental health concerns. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 2050-2974 |