The Family Experience with Eating Disorders Scale: psychometric analysis

The role of the family in the development and maintenance of eating disorders is frequently cited in the literature; however, common methodological issues, including the use of diverse family assessment instruments with inadequate psychometric properties, exist. Further, variables specific to families with eating disorder are not being captured in available instruments. The modeling and role-modeling theory (Erickson, H., Kinney, C. (Eds). 1990. Modeling and role-modeling: Theory, practice, and research. Austin, TX: Society for Advancement of Modeling and Role-Modeling; Erickson, H., Tomlin, E., Swain, M. A. 1983. Modeling and role-modeling: A theory and paradigm for nursing. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.) was employed to structure the Family Experience with Eating Disorders Scale (FEEDS), a 53-item instrument that measures variables specific to families with eating disorder. An adequate degree of reliability and validity of the FEEDS was demonstrated with a multisite sample composed of three groups: 146 parents of individuals with eating disorders, 35 parents of adolescents with psychiatric disorders, and 100 parents of college students with no known psychiatric illness. Structural equation modeling supported the construct validity of a reduced 30-item instrument and confirmed three higher order measurement models. A provisional degree of known group validity was established. Tests of internal consistency and test-retest at 2 weeks demonstrated adequate reliability. The FEEDS could be a useful adjunct to clinical assessment and could be instrumental in designing nursing interventions and measuring treatment outcomes for families with eating disorder.