Self-Induced Vomiting and Other Impulsive Behaviors in Alcohol Use Disorder: A Cross-sectional Descriptive Study

Abstract

Objective

To determine the prevalence of self-induced vomiting (SIV) in a sample of patients with Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD), and to explore whether such behavior is associated with a comorbid eating disorder psychopathology and other clinical symptomatology, such as impulsivity. Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out at the Alcohol Rehabilitation Unit at Stikland Psychiatric Hospital, South Africa. All consecutive inpatient admissions between April and June 2017 were invited to participate in an hour-long data interview. The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), Bulimic Investigatory Test, Edinburgh (BITE), and the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11) were used to collect data from 104 adults. Results: A total of 29% of patients with AUD reported SIV. The main reason stated for SIV was to prevent hangover (66%). There were no significant differences in BITE and BIS110 scores between participants who reported SIV and those who did not. Conclusions: Almost a third of patients with AUD reported SIV. BITE scores indicated no relationship between eating disorders and alcohol-related SIV in this sample. Our findings also did not support an etiological role for impulsivity in alcohol-related SIV.

Keywords:

• Alcohol use disorder
• impulsivity
• self-induced vomiting
• South Africa

Acknowledgments

We wish to express our gratitude to Dr. Mimi Roberts who assisted with the preparation of this manuscript. We also wish to thank the study participants and the management and staff at Stikland Hospital for their support.

Disclosure statement

All authors report no financial relationships with commercial interests and declare no conflict of interest.