Validation of a Farsi version of the Eating Pathology Symptoms Inventory (F-EPSI) among Iranian adolescents

Abstract

Purpose: Limited research has validated eating pathology assessments in Iranian adolescent boys and girls. In particular, the measures that have been validated do not capture both boys’ and girls’ eating behaviors in adolescence. The purpose of the current study was to validate a Farsi version of the Eating Pathology Symptoms Inventory (F-EPSI) for use in Iranian adolescents. Methods: Participants (N = 913; 85.3% girls) were adolescents who completed a battery of questionnaires including the F-EPSI. In addition, F-EPSI data for Iranian adolescents were compared with those of previously published data of adult Iranian college students. Results: Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) indicated that the F-EPSI had an acceptable fit to the data and supported the eight-factor model. The scale was invariant by gender, weight status, eating disorder, and age groups. Boys reported higher scores than girls on the Excessive Exercise, Muscle Building, Body Dissatisfaction, and Binge Eating subscales. Adolescents with higher weight and eating disorder symptoms endorsed higher scores on the F-EPSI subscales. Older adolescents and adults reported higher scores than younger adolescents and adolescents, respectively. Adolescents had higher scores than adults on Restricting and Excessive Exercise subscales. The F-EPSI demonstrated good convergent validity through correlations with other eating pathology symptoms. The F-EPSI subscales were associated with depression and body mass index (zBMI) in expected directions that indicate criterion validity of the scale. Conclusions: Findings suggest that the F-EPSI is a reliable and valid measure in Iranian non-clinical adolescents. The F-EPSI will enable researchers to examine a broad array of eating pathology symptoms in adolescents for whom Farsi is their official language. Level of evidence: Level V; Cross-sectional descriptive study.