Comparing two measures of eating restraint in bulimic women treated with cognitive-behavioral therapy

To examine changes in dietary restraint patterns revealed by the Eating Disorders Examination Restraint subscale (EDE-R) and the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire Cognitive Restraint scale (TFEQ-CR) in a large sample of women with bulimia nervosa (BN) who completed 18 weeks of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT).

Data from 134 subjects were obtained from a larger study and analyzed using repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA).

The EDE-R showed statistically and clinically significant decreases post-CBT, whereas the TFEQ-CR did not change significantly.

This is the first study to directly compare the EDE-R and TFEQ-CR before and after CBT in the same population. The contrasting results suggest the two measures tap different aspects of the dietary restraint construct. The EDE-R may primarily reflect dieting to lose weight whereas the TFEQ-CR may reflect dieting to avoid weight gain. In assessing changes in dietary restraint targeted by CBT for BN, the TFEQ-CR appears less useful.