Psychometric properties of the eating disorder examination questionnaire full-scale and short forms in Japanese female clinical and nonclinical samples.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to provide an empirical foundation for selecting optimal models of the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q) full-scale and short forms in Japanese female clinical and nonclinical populations.

METHOD: The sample comprised 526 female patients with eating disorders and 744 female controls. The analysis systematically compared psychometric properties, including factor structures, internal consistency, and discriminative capabilities across five full-scale models and three short-form models of the EDE-Q. Furthermore, factorial estimates were evaluated across diagnostic subgroups: anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), and binge-eating disorder (BED).

RESULTS

Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) did not support the proposed factor structure for any of the EDE-Q models, except for the 7-item (EDE-Q7) and 9-item (EDE-Q9) forms. The three-factor EDE-Q7 model, comprising dietary restraint, shape/weight overvaluation, and body dissatisfaction, was validated in the clinical sample but not in the nonclinical sample. Conversely, the four-factor EDE-Q9 model, comprising dietary restraint, shape/weight overvaluation, body dissatisfaction, and preoccupation, demonstrated structural validity across both clinical and nonclinical samples. CFA results indicated optimal model fit for the EDE-Q9 in the AN, BN, and BED groups, whereas for the EDE-Q7 in the BN and BED groups. Both short forms exhibited robust internal consistency and effectively differentiated between clinical and nonclinical samples.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings indicate that specific short forms of the EDE-Q offer viable alternatives in time-constrained settings, exhibiting more consistent structural validity compared to the full-scale version.