Supervisors info:
Αρτέμιος Πεχλιβανίδης, Καθηγητής, Ιατρική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ
Θωμάς Παπαρρηγόπουλος, Καθηγητής, Ιατρική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ
Καλλιόπη Τριανταφύλλου, Ψυχολόγος, PhD, Ιατρική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ
Summary:
Introduction: Nicotine dependence and binge eating appear to be similar in the increased “impulsivity” and influence they exert on the “locus of control” of people who engage in smoke/food abuse behaviors compared to people who do not exhibit such behaviors.
Purpose: The purpose of this research is to study the association of smoking and binge eating with impulsivity and locus of control.
Method: The research that was conducted was quantitative, cross-sectional and lasted about 2 months. The sample consisted of 1948 adult individuals, coming from the general population. The questionnaires that were used were the following: a) Demographic data questionnaire, b) Questionnaire regarding health, c) Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND), d) Binge Eating Scale (BES), e) Barratt Impulsivity Scale (BIS) and f) Pettijohn's Locus of Control Scale. The questionnaires were posted in the form “Google Forms", on social media, where they were answered by the participants. The statistical analysis of the answers was carried out through the statistical program SPSS 22.0.
Results: Regarding overall impulsivity, it was found that non-smokers who do not experience binge eating have a significantly lower score [Mean = 59.0 (SD= 8.1), p<0.001] than smokers who do not experience binge eating [Mean= 60.9 (SD= 8.7), p<0.001], as well as non-smokers who experience binge eating [Mean = 64.2 (SD= 8.4)], p <0.001], but also with smokers who experience binge eating [Mean= 65.9 (SD= 9.4), p<0.001]. Moreover, as far as the locus of control is concerned, it was found that smokers who do not experience binge eating have a significantly higher score [Mean = 71.7 (SD= 12.3), p<0.001] than non-smokers who do not experience it [Mean= 70.9 (SD= 13.1), p<0.001], non-smokers who experience it [Mean= 64.7 (SD= 14.2), p<0.001], but also with smokers who experience it [Mean = 63.7 (SD= 14.0), p<0.001].
Conclusions: Our research reveal that people who smoke or experience binge eating episodes have increased impulsivity compared to those who do not engage in such behaviors. In addition, smoking did not appear to be associated with lower internal locus of control, while, on the contrary, people who experience binge eating have both internal and external locus of control, regardless of whether they smoke or not. Finally, the most increased impulsivity and lower internal locus of control was observed in people who were smokers and had episodes of binge eating too.
Keywords:
Nicotine, Binge eating, Impulsivity, Locus of control, Dependence.
