Development and validation of a scale for the tendency to exercise in response to mood, eating, and body image cues: the Reactive Exercise Scale (RES)

Abstract

Purpose: Earlier work on engaging in physical exercise when experiencing negative affect demonstrated robust associations with eating disorder (ED) behaviors and attitudes; however, measurement of the behavior was primitive. We report on the development of a self-report measure, the Reactive Exercise Scale (RES), that disentangles the tendency to engage in exercise in response to negative mood cues from the tendency to engage in exercise in response to eating and body image cues, which themselves may be associated with negative mood. The measure also assesses exercising in response to positive mood cues.Method: Exploratory factor analysis (FA) guided item and factor selection. Con rmatory FA in an independent sample supported a 3-factor solution -exercising in response to negative mood cues, eating and body image cues, and positive mood cues.Results: Results supported the construct validity of the RES subscales and indicated that exercising in response to negative mood cues may not uniquely relate to most aspects of ED psychopathology when accounting for eating and body image cues, which themselves are associated with negative mood. Conclusion:The RES allows for testing the unique relation of exercise to regulate negative emotion with ED constructs independent from the appearance-related motives for which exercise may also be used. What Is Already Known On This Subject?Exercise behavior is often disrupted in individuals with EDs and itself may be an important ED behavior. The aspects of exercise that explain its relation to ED features, and what differentiates exercise as it occurs within and outside EDs, remains an important topic of study. What This Study Adds?This study contributes a novel measure of the tendency to engage in exercise in response to speci c cues: negative emotion, eating/body image, and positive emotion. Together, these subscales may aid in identifying the speci c components of exercise that relate to ED features from those that may occur both within and outside of EDs.