A Systematic Review of Impulsivity in Eating Disorders

The purpose of this paper is to conduct a systematic review of the current literature that examines impulsivity in individuals with eating disorders (ED). Studies were obtained from Embase, Pubmed and Psycinfo, and were included if they assessed impulsivity in individuals over 18 years of age with an ED diagnosis and published in the last 10 years. The methodological quality of the studies was rated. Twelve studies were included in this review, with methodological quality varying across studies. Findings suggest that impulsivity is best assessed multi-modally, with a combination of self-report, behavioural and physiological measures. In general, impulsivity was found to differentiate individuals with EDs from controls, as well as across diagnostic subtypes. The current findings have important clinical implications for our understanding and treatment of both impulsivity and eating disorders.