Appetite 47 (2006) 361–371 Research report Reward and punishment sensitivity in dysfunctional eating and hazardous drinking women: Associations with family risk Natalie J. Loxton à , Sharon Dawe School of Psychology, Griffith University, Mt. Gravatt Campus, Brisbane, Queensland 4111, Australia Received 29 March 2006; received in revised form 27 April 2006; accepted 18 May 2006 Abstract Biologically based personality traits such as reward and punishment sensitivity, and family factors, such as maternal dysfunctional eating and parental alcohol abuse, have been linked to hazardous drinking and disordered eating. However, specific relationships between personality and family factors in the development of these disorders are still unclear. A total of 443 women completed measures of reward and punishment sensitivity, family environment, maternal eating and parental drinking. Reward sensitivity was directly associated with both dysfunctional eating and drinking. Punishment sensitivity was associated with dysfunctional eating but not hazardous drinking. Punishment sensitivity mediated a chaotic family environment and daughters’ dysfunctional eating. It is suggested that reward and punishment sensitivity are key traits to examine when investigating vulnerability to risky behaviour. Future research into disordered eating is likely to be advanced by an active search for mediators and moderators of family risk. r 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Impulsivity; Reward; Punishment; Anxiety; Personality; Family; Alcohol; Eating; Women; Mediation Introduction There is now a considerable body of evidence finding high levels of impulsivity in women who abuse alcohol, and in women with disordered eating, particularly those women whose eating patterns are characterised by binge eating (Dawe & Loxton, 2004; Nederkoorn, Van Eijs, & Jansen, 2004). Both binge eating and chronic alcohol abuse are characterised by compulsive approach behaviour. This is accompanied by a sense of loss of control following exposure to binge food/drink cues, suggesting a strong approach response in light of food and alcohol cues (Carter & Tiffany, 1999; Staiger, Dawe, & McCarthy, 2000). It has been proposed that a hypersensitivity to reward may be a common vulnerability to both disorders (Davis & Claridge, 1998; Loxton & Dawe, 2001). Elevated levels of trait anxiety have also been found in women with eating disorders (Fassino et al., 2002). The combination of high impulsivity/approach and trait anxiety/inhibition is in accordance with the binge–purge cycle in which food cravings and loss of control of eating alternate with periods of restrictive eating and avoidance of ‘‘forbidden foods’’ (Klump, McGue, & Iacono, 2002). The relationship between an anxious temperament and alcohol misuse is far less clear-cut. For example, in some samples, low trait anxiety has been found related to an increased risk of alcohol misuse (e.g., Franken & Muris, 2006; Masse & Tremblay, 1997). Yet, in other samples, high trait anxiety has been found to be related to alcohol problems (e.g., Pidcock, Fischer, Forthun, & West, 2000). Despite these disparate results, the vast majority of studies have not found an association between trait anxiety and alcohol misuse (Franken, Muris, & Georgieva, 2006; Grau & Ortet, 1999; Johnson, Turner, & Iwata, 2003; O’Connor & Colder, 2005). Jeffrey Gray’s biologically based theory of personality, Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory (RST; Gray & McNaughton, 2000), has been proposed as a useful model in understanding dysfunctional eating behaviour (Dawe & Loxton, 2004). RST consists of 3 motivational systems underlying individual differences in the tendency to ARTICLE IN PRESS www.elsevier.com/locate/appet 0195-6663/$ - see front matter r 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.appet.2006.05.014 à Corresponding author. E-mail address: n.loxton@griffith.edu.au (N.J. Loxton).