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This study sought to investigate independent associations of impulsivity and compulsivity with eating disorder (ED) symptoms. Women (N = 81) with full or subthreshold Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV anorexia nervosa (AN) completed a semi-structured interview and self-report questionnaires. Multiple regression analyses were conducted using ED symptoms as dependent variables and facets of impulsivity and compulsivity as predictor variables (controlling for body mass index and AN diagnostic subtype). For impulsivity facets, lack of perseverance was uniquely associated with eating concern, shape concern and restraint, whereas negative urgency was uniquely associated with eating concern and frequency of loss of control eating; neither sensation seeking nor lack of premeditation was uniquely associated with any ED variables. Compulsivity was uniquely associated with restraint, eating concern and weight concern. Results support independent associations of impulsivity and compulsivity with ED symptoms in adults with AN, suggesting potential utility in addressing both impulsive and compulsive processes in treatment. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.

Background: Clinical, epidemiological, and genetic findings support an overlap between eating disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and anxiety symptoms. However, little research has examined the role of genetics in the expression of underlying phenotypes. We investigated whether the anorexia nervosa (AN), OCD, or AN/OCD transdiagnostic polygenic scores (PGS) predict eating disorder, OCD, and anxiety symptoms in a large developmental cohort in a sex-specific manner. Methods: Using summary statistics from Psychiatric Genomics Consortium AN and OCD genome-wide association studies, we conducted an AN/OCD transdiagnostic genome-wide association meta-analysis. We then calculated AN, OCD, and AN/OCD PGS in participants from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children to predict eating disorder, OCD, and anxiety symptoms, stratified by sex (combined N = 3212–5369 per phenotype). Results: The PGS prediction of eating disorder, OCD, and anxiety phenotypes differed between sexes, although effect sizes were small. AN and AN/OCD PGS played a more prominent role in predicting eating disorder and anxiety risk than OCD PGS, especially in girls. AN/OCD PGS provided a small boost over AN PGS in the prediction of some anxiety symptoms. All three PGS predicted higher compulsive exercise across different developmental timepoints [ β = 0.03 (s.e. = 0.01) for AN and AN/OCD PGS at age 14; β = 0.05 (s.e. = 0.02) for OCD PGS at age 16] in girls. Conclusions: Compulsive exercise may have a transdiagnostic genetic etiology, and AN genetic risk may play a role in the presence of anxiety symptoms. Converging with prior twin literature, our results also suggest that some of the contribution of genetic risk may be sex-specific. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]