Beliefs about Binge Eating: Psychometric Properties of the Eating Beliefs Questionnaire (EBQ-18) in Eating Disorder, Obese, and Community Samples

Abstract

Binge eating is a core diagnostic feature of bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, anorexia nervosa binge/purge type, and is a common feature of “other specified” and “unspecified” feeding and eating disorders. It has been suggested that specific metacognitive beliefs about food, eating, and binge eating may play a key role in the maintenance of binge eating behaviour. The Eating Beliefs Questionnaire (EBQ-18) provides a brief self-report assessment tool measuring three types of metacognitive beliefs: negative, positive, and permissive beliefs about food and eating. This study aimed to build on past research by validating the factor structure and psychometric properties of the EBQ-18 using both a clinical and non-clinical sample. A sample of 688 participants (n = 498 non-clinical participants, n = 161 participants seeking treatment for an eating disorder, and n = 29 participants seeking treatment for obesity) completed a battery of questionnaires, including the EBQ-18 and other measures of eating disorder symptoms and relevant constructs. A subset of 100 non-clinical participants completed the test battery again after an interval of two-weeks, and 38 clinical participants completed the EBQ-18 before and after receiving psychological treatment for their eating disorder. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted and psychometric properties of this measure were assessed. The results of this study provide support for the three-factor model of the EBQ-18. In addition, the EBQ-18 was found to be a valid and reliable measure, with excellent internal consistency, good test-retest reliability in the non-clinical sample, and also demonstrated evidence of sensitivity to treatment in clinical samples with binge eating pathology. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were used to identify optimal cut-off scores for the EBQ-18. This study provides valuable information about the utility of the EBQ-18 as a measure for use in both clinical and research settings.

Beliefs about binge eating: The psychometric properties of the Persian version of the eating beliefs questionnaire

“…These results are also consistent with the examination of the factor structure EBQ-18 with a nonclinical sample. [ 14 17 ] Further, these results are in line with the results of the previous study that found an earlier, two subscale version of the EBQ with nonclinical samples. [ 13 34 ] The normal Chi-square should be <3 for an acceptable model.…”

“…To assess the construct validity of the EBQ-18 and determine the fit of the factor and subscales structure obtained by Burton et al ,[ 14 17 ] CFA was performed. Based on the results of Eating Beliefs scale, the three-factor model was tested [ Table 5 ].…”

“…[ 14 ] The 18-item self-report questionnaire on eating beliefs (EBQ-18) entails three subscales (negative beliefs, positive beliefs, and permissive beliefs), where each subscale measures a specific belief about eating that encourages binge eating in those suffering from eating disorders. [ 17 ] EBQ-18 can be implemented to investigate the presence and severity of eating binge, which is linked to cognition in both clinical and nonclinical populations. In order to expand more effective treatments, it is significant to first have a well understanding of the maintaining factors that underlie binge eating behavior.…”

“…The psychometric characteristics and three-factor structure of EBQ-18 have been investigated and confirmed in several studies. [ 14 17 ] Still, investigating the psychometric characteristics of this scale in other societies which comprise different cultural norms and values not only helps with improving the external validity of the instrument[ 18 ] but also facilitate the execution of more studies in those societies. Thus, with regard to the prevalence and consequences of binge eating and the absence of a valid and reliable Persian scale, the present research aimed to investigate the psychometric characteristics of the Persian version of EBQ-18.…”

The revised short-form of the Eating Beliefs Questionnaire: Measuring positive, negative, and permissive beliefs about binge eating

“…Future studies should also examine the differences in scores between clinical eating disorder groups and non-clinical controls, with binge eating status verified by a clinician interview, such as the EDE. Furthermore, it is important for future studies to examine the EBQ-18’s sensitivity to treatment and test-retest reliability (recent research has examined the utility of the EBQ-18 in both general and clinical eating disorder samples [ 44 ]).…”