Development and validity of the Disordered Eating Attitude Scale (DEAS)

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Psychometrics

Background:

• Disordered eating attitudes encompass abnormal beliefs, thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and relationships concerning food.
• Accurate measurement tools are crucial for understanding and addressing disordered eating patterns.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a new scale, the Disordered Eating Attitude Scale (DEAS), for measuring disordered eating attitudes.
• To assess the psychometric properties of the DEAS in a university student population.

Main Methods:

• Exploratory factor analysis and internal consistency assessment were conducted on a sample of 196 female university students.
• Convergent validity was examined using correlations with the Eating Attitude Test-26 and Restraint Scale.
• Known-groups validity was established by comparing scores between student and eating disorder groups (N=51).

Main Results:

• The Disordered Eating Attitude Scale consists of 25 questions across five subscales, explaining 54.3% of the total variance.
• The scale demonstrated acceptable internal consistency and convergent validity.
• Total scores effectively differentiated between student, bulimia nervosa, and anorexia nervosa groups.

Conclusions:

• The Disordered Eating Attitude Scale is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing disordered eating attitudes.
• The DEAS can be utilized across diverse populations, including clinical groups with eating disorders, for evaluation purposes.