Eating disorder examination questionnaire: psychometric properties and norms for the Portuguese population

Abstract

Objective: The first aim of the current study was to establish general population norms for the Portuguese version of the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q) in a large community sample of female adolescents and young women, as well, for a diverse Eating Disorder (ED) clinical sample, and for women with obesity without an ED. A second aim of the study was to assess the discriminant validity of the EDE-Q and providing cut-off scores for the total scale and subscales.

Method: A sample of female adolescents and young women (N = 4091) from the general population, 416 women who met diagnostic criteria for an ED and 138 women seeking obesity treatment completed the EDE-Q.

Results: Norms for the EDE-Q global subscale were provided. Within the community sample, norms were provided for both high school and college samples. Receiver operating characteristic analysis showed that the EDE-Q total score accurately discriminate between participants with and without an ED. Current norm contributes to the clinical utility of the EDE-Q, providing both a cut-off score and reliable change index. Results showed that the EDE-Q is a reliable instrument, but the theorized four subscales structure was not supported by an explorative factor analysis.

Conclusion: Results will help both researchers and clinicians interpreting the EDE-Q scores and to establish comparison with data produced in different countries.

Keywords: psychological testing; psychometrics.