The development and psychometric validation of the Food and Alcohol Disturbance Expectancy Questionnaire (FAD-EQ) in...

Food and alcohol disturbance (FAD; i.e., use of compensatory behaviors to offset alcohol-related calories and/or to enhance the effects of alcohol) is prevalent among college students and associated with negative consequences. Expectancy effects may play a critical role in understanding the phenomenology and trajectory of FAD, as research from the alcohol and disordered eating literature suggest expectancies are uniquely linked to engagement in these behaviors and their related outcomes. However, little is known about FAD-specific expectancies. This study aimed to develop and psychometrically validate the FAD Expectancy Questionnaire (FAD-EQ). Using three independent multisite samples of U.S. college students (Sample 1: n = 2,594; Sample 2: n = 1,693; Sample 3: n = 3,824), we conducted exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, tested measurement invariance across sex assigned at birth, evaluated the measure's construct validity, and examined whether FAD expectancy profiles differed by type of past-month FAD engagement. Results supported a two-factor structure (positive and negative FAD expectancies) for the 30-item FAD-EQ, which demonstrated acceptable internal consistency, measurement invariance across sex assigned at birth, and preliminary evidence of convergent and discriminant validity. Similar to results from the alcohol expectancy literature, students engaging in FAD for alcohol enhancement and caloric compensation purposes endorsed the strongest positive and weakest negative expectancies, while students who denied past-month FAD endorsed the weakest positive and strongest negative expectancies. Findings from this study offer a robust tool for assessing FAD expectancies and provide several avenues for future research, intervention, and prevention efforts. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).