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Spanish Version of the Eating Attitudes Test 40: Dimensionality, Reliability, Convergent and Criterion Validity

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 July 2013

Teresa Rivas ,
Karina Franco ,
Rosa Bersabé  and
Carmen Berrocal Montiel
Teresa Rivas*
Affiliation:
University of Malaga (Spain)
Karina Franco
Affiliation:
University of Guadalajara (Mexico)
Rosa Bersabé
Affiliation:
University of Malaga (Spain)
Carmen Berrocal Montiel
Affiliation:
University of Pisa (Italy)
*
*Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Teresa Rivas Moya. Departamento de Psicobiología y Metodología de las Ciencias del Comportamiento. Facultad de Psicología. Universidad de Málaga. 29071-Málaga (Spain). E-mail: moya@uma.es
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Abstract

The Eating Attitudes Test-40 (EAT-40; Garner & Garfinkel, 1979) is one of the most widely used measures in the field of eating disorders (ED). The factor structure of the EAT-40, as well as the optimal cut-off score to identify subjects with ED, are subjects of debate. Both controversial issues are addressed in the present study. Participants were 95 clinical females meeting DSM-IV-R criteria for ED and 89 females without ED. The results supported a unidimensional structure of the EAT-40 items scores. The general factor accounted for a high percentage (50.63%) of the variance in EAT-40 total scores. The questionnaire proved to have good internal consistency and test–retest reliability. Clinical participants displayed higher mean scores than normal subjects in the EAT-40. Further, participants meeting DSM-IV-R criteria for ED differed significantly from “symptomatic” and “asymptomatic” participants. Correlations with the BULIT-R and the EDI-II scores supported the convergent validity of the questionnaire. The EAT-40 also demonstrated good specificity (94.38%) and sensitivity (93.68%) to detect ED when a cut-off score of 27 was used to discriminate between subjects with and without ED. The implications of these findings for the conceptualization and the assessment of ED are discussed.

Keywords

eating disordersassessmentfactor structurereliabilityvalidity
Type
Research Article
Information
The Spanish Journal of Psychology , Volume 16 , 2013 , E59
Copyright
Copyright © Universidad Complutense de Madrid and Colegio Oficial de Psicólogos de Madrid 2013 

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Footnotes

This research was supported by grants from the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología. Project “Cuestionarios para el diagnóstico de los Trastornos de la Conducta Alimentaria: Fiabilidad y Validez” (BSO2001-1945) and the Andalusian Consejería de Educación y Ciencia (Research Group CTS278).

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