The Hungarian Adaptation of the Parent Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire

It is recommended to consider multiple sources of information when assessing eating disorder symptoms in adolescents. The Parent Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (PEDE-Q) measures the parent-reported eating disorder symptoms of adolescents. The aim of the present study was to validate the Hungarian version of the PEDE-Q in a community- based Hungarian sample. Our further aim was to examine the relationship between the questionnaire and adolescents' self-reported eating disorder symptoms, as well as parents' own eating attitudes.

201 parents aged between 32 and 68 years (155 mothers) completed the PEDE-Q and the Eating Attitudes Test-26. Additionally, 195 adolescents aged between 12 and 18 years (55.7% girls) completed the self-administered Psychiatric Scales for Children and Adolescents - Psychogenic Eating Scale. We conducted confirmatory factor analyses to examine the factor structure of the Hungarian PEDE-Q. For further bivariate analyses, we used Pearson correlations.

After adding modification indices, the revised hierarchical model, where the three first-order factors (Restraint, Eating Concern, and Shape/Weight Concern) loaded onto a second-order general eating disorder factor, showed acceptable properties (CFI = 1.000, TLI = 0.999, RMSEA = 0.031 [90% CI: 0.017-0.042], SRMR = 0.084; α = 0.83-0.94). A moderate positive correlation was found between the self-reported and the parent-reported adolescent eating disorder symptoms. The results also showed a weak positive correlation between the parent-reported adolescent symptoms and the parents' own symptoms.

The Hungarian Parent Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire is a valid and reliable measure of parent-reported eating disorder symptoms of adolescents. The association between adolescent and parental reports highlights the importance of multi- informant assessments in identifying eating disorder symptoms in youth. (Neuropsychopharmacol Hung 2025; 27(3): 169-184)