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Variants of early‐onset restrictive eating disturbances in middle childhood
Author(s) -
Kurz Susanne,
van Dyck Zoé,
Dremmel Daniela,
Munsch Simone,
Hilbert Anja
Publication year - 2016
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/eat.22461
Subject(s) - psychology , eating disorders , population , developmental psychology , early childhood , clinical psychology , medicine , environmental health
ABSTRACT Objective This study sought to determine the factor structure of the newly developed self‐report screening questionnaire Eating Disturbances in Youth‐Questionnaire (EDY‐Q) as well as to report the distribution of variants of early‐onset restrictive eating disturbances characteristic of avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) in a middle childhood population sample. Method Using the EDY‐Q, a total of 1,444 children aged 8–13 years were screened in elementary schools in Switzerland via self‐report. The factor analysis of the 12 items covering ARFID related symptoms was performed using a principal component analysis (PCA). Results The PCA showed a four factor solution, with clear allocation to the scales covering three variants of early‐onset restrictive eating disturbances and weight problems. Inadequate overall food intake was reported by 19.3% of the children, a limited accepted amount of food by 26.1%, and food avoidance based on a specific underlying fear by 5.0%. Discussion The postulated factor structure of the EDY‐Q was confirmed, further supporting the existence of distinct variants of early‐onset restrictive eating disturbances. Avoidant/restrictive eating behavior seems to be a common experience in middle childhood, but results have to be confirmed using validated interviews. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. (Int J Eat Disord 2016; 49:102–106).