Spanish version of the brief Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q7): psychometric properties, dimensional structure, and sex invariance in a Spanish adult sample

Abstract

Background: The Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q) is a widely used measure for eating disorders. Research on the shorter 7-item 3-factor version of the scale (EDE-Q7) supports the validity of that brief measure. Moreover, EDE-Q7 may be especially useful in large epidemiological investigations and clinical contexts because of its shorter length. The current study examined the psychometric properties and factor structure of the Spanish language version of the EDE-Q7 in a sample of Spanish adults. Methods: A non-clinical sample of 1163 adults living in Spain (806, 69.3% women) completed the EDE-Q7, the EDE-Q, and other measures of abnormal eating attitudes, depression, stress, anxiety, self-esteem, and life satisfaction. Results: Confirmatory factor analysis showed an adequate fit for the EDE-Q7 with a three-factor structure identified as dietary restraint, body dissatisfaction, and shape/weight over evaluation. The EDE-Q7 exhibited good internal consistency, and the results corroborated measurement invariance across sex. The instrument revealed positive correlations with the EDE-Q and abnormal eating attitudes. The EDE-Q7 also showed significant associations in the expected direction with body mass index, self-esteem, stress, anxiety, depression, and life satisfaction. Conclusions: Our findings support the validity and factor structure of the Spanish version of EDE-Q7 in a sample of Spanish men and women, implying that the questionnaire can be used as an autonomous measure. Measurement invariance suggests that the instrument may be appropriate for Spanish college-aged men and women and community adults.