Sarah Racine

Biography

My research examines risk and maintenance factors for eating disorders and related forms of psychopathology from a transdiagnostic perspective. The co-occurrence of eating disorders with both internalizing (e.g., major depression) and externalizing (e.g., substance use disorders) disorders points to the importance of fundamental processes that relate to multiple forms of psychiatric illness. One of my primary research goals is to identify the biobehavioural mechanisms that underlie transdiagnostic risk factors and their relation to eating disorder symptoms. One transdiagnostic risk factor that I have studied extensively is negative urgency – the tendency to act impulsively when experiencing negative emotions. In addition, I aim to identify disorder- and symptom-specific disease mechanisms that shape transdiagnostic risk and predispose an individual to develop one form of psychopathology over another. For example, my work has demonstrated that sociocultural and behavioural risk factors for eating disorders (e.g., internalization of cultural ideals of thinness) interact with negative urgency to lead to eating disorder symptoms, but not depressive symptoms or problematic alcohol use. I examine transdiagnostic and symptom-specific processes across multiple units of analysis (e.g., biological, behavioural, self-report), capitalizing on my methodological expertise in behavioural genetics, neuroendocrinology, and psychophysiology. Ultimately, I hope to identify key etiologic and maintenance mechanisms that can be targeted in individualized prevention and treatment programs in hopes of reducing the suffering and costs associated with eating disorders.

Research Interest

Social & Personality