Using the Chinese Version of the Screen for Disordered Eating to Assess Disordered Eating: Reliability, Validity and...

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Psychology
• Public Health

Background:

• Eating and body image perceptions vary significantly across Asian and Western cultures.
• Validating Western-derived screening tools in diverse cultural contexts is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the psychometric properties of the Screen for Disordered Eating (SDE) within the Chinese cultural context.
• To assess the reliability, validity, and correlates of the SDE in a Taiwanese university student sample.

Main Methods:

• A sample of 766 university students in Taiwan participated in the study.
• The reliability and validity of the SDE were examined using correlation and factor analysis.
• Convergent validity was assessed by comparing SDE scores with the SCOFF questionnaire.

Main Results:

• The Chinese version of the SDE demonstrated good convergent validity with the SCOFF questionnaire (r = 0.664).
• Factor analysis indicated substantial loadings, explaining 52% of the variance.
• Disordered eating correlated significantly with sex, depressive symptoms, anxiety, and childhood trauma.

Conclusions:

• The SDE is confirmed as a reliable and valid instrument for screening disordered eating in the Chinese context.
• Healthcare professionals can use the SDE for early detection and timely intervention of disordered eating behaviors.