Validity and reliability of the Pica, ARFID and Rumination Disorder Interview-ARFID Questionnaire (PARDI-AR-Q) in...

Although global awareness of avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) is increasing, non-Western countries remain underrepresented in the research literature. The Pica, ARFID, and Rumination Disorder Interview-ARFID Questionnaire (PARDI-AR-Q), one of the most extensively validated instruments with strong psychometric properties, is widely used to assess ARFID in both clinical and non-clinical pediatric populations. However, to date, no study has evaluated its reliability and validity among adolescents in Turkey. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the PARDI-AR-Q in an adolescent sample.

The sample comprised 483 adolescents aged 12-18 years, Participants completed a sociodemographic and clinical data form, the PARDI-AR-Q, the Nine-Item Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder Screen (NIAS), the Food Neophobia Scale (FNS), the Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire Short (EDE-QS), and the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale-Child version (RCADS-CV) on an online platform.

The mean age of the participants was 15.1 years (SD = 1.9). Of these participants, 170 (35.2%) were male and 313 (64.8%) were female. The PARDI-AR-Q showed good to excellent internal consistency, with a well-fitting four-factor structure, including severity of impact (α = 0.955), sensory-based avoidance (α = 0.96), concern about aversive consequences (α = 0.965), and lack of interest (α = 0.848). Test-retest analyses further supported the reliability of the scale. Each PARDI-AR-Q subscale correlated most highly with its conceptually matched NIAS subscale, whereas non-target subscales demonstrated minimal or no associations, supporting both its convergent and discriminant validity. In addition, the PARDI-AR-Q subscales were primarily unrelated to eating attitudes related to weight and shape (EDE-QS), which also provides evidence for its discriminant validity.

These findings demonstrate that the Turkish version of the PARDI-AR-Q is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing ARFID symptoms in community samples of Turkish adolescents. The Turkish version of the PARDI-AR-Q may contribute to the identification of ARFID-related symptom patterns in adolescents; however, its clinical utility for early detection should be further established through studies conducted in clinical samples using diagnostic interviews.