Evaluation of the French version of the Orientation Towards Chocolate Questionnaire: chocolate-related guilt and ambivalence are associated with overweight and disordered eating

Abstract

The aims of this study were firstly to evaluate the psychometric properties of the French version of the Orientation towards Chocolate Questionnaire (OCQ), secondly to examine differences in chocolate craving as a function of weight status, and thirdly to examine the OCQ craving dimensions as predictors of body dissatisfaction and disordered eating. Participants included 247 female students from the University of Toulouse, France, who completed measures of chocolate craving, body dissatisfaction, bulimia, drive for thinness, and emotional eating, and for whom body mass index (BMI) was available. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the three-factor model of the OCQ, with guilt, approach, and avoidance subscales. Patterns of endorsement of chocolate craving dimensions differed according to weight status, with ambivalence present only amongst overweight participants. Guilt and approach were positively associated with disordered eating, whereas avoidance was negatively associated with bulimia. These results confirm the validity and reliability of the French version of the OCQ and highlight strong associations between chocolate craving dimensions and disordered eating patterns.