Premium
Construct validity of the three‐factor eating questionnaire: Flexible and rigid control subscales
Author(s) -
Shearin Edward N.,
Russ Mark J.,
Hull James W.,
Clarkin John F.,
Smith Gerard P.
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
international journal of eating disorders
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.785
H-Index - 138
eISSN - 1098-108X
pISSN - 0276-3478
DOI - 10.1002/1098-108x(199409)16:2<187::aid-eat2260160210>3.0.co;2-u
Subject(s) - psychology , body mass index , eating disorders , anorexia , construct validity , personality , anorexia nervosa , psychometrics , appetite , clinical psychology , population , test validity , psychiatry , medicine , social psychology , environmental health
This study investigated the construct validity of two dietary restraint subscales, flexible control (FC) and rigid control (RC), identified by Westenhoefer (1991; Appetite, 16, 45–55) as a subset of the restraint scale items from the Three‐Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ, Stunkard & Messick. [1985]. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 29, 71–83). The subjects were 31 women on long‐term personality disorder units. Based on the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM‐III‐R (SCID), 68% has past anorexia and/or bulimia diagnoses and 94% were borderline. The subjects completed the TFEQ and supplied weight and height data for body mass index (BMI) calculations. The results supported the validity of the two restraint constructs by showing that FC was inversely related to BMI and predicted an anorexia diagnosis. In contrast, RC directly predicted BMI when tested concurrently with FC. RC was also more associated with a history of bulimia and problems with weight fluctuations than FC was. Thus, the FC‐RC distinction was valid and useful in this population of women. © 1994 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.