The validity of the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire: some critical remarks

Abstract

Recent debate has considered the validity of self-reports and laboratory-based behavioral measures of emotional eating. This paper reviews the literature on self-reported emotional eating and actual eating behavior (i.e., examines the concurrent validity). As detailed in the review, the literature suggests mixed findings on the correspondence between these self-reports and actual eating behavior. Based on this, we cite characteristics of studies that support the concurrent validity of the DEBQ and address possible reasons for the lack of concurrent validity in other studies, as well as concerns about the measurement of emotional eating in the laboratory. Two reasons for the lack of concurrent validity of self-report emotional eating scales identified in this review include (1) methodological/experimental design flaws and (2) the variability of emotional eating based on participant characteristics. We argue that further research on emotional eating needs to address factors related to self-reports of emotional eating and objective emotional eating behavior (e.g., negative affect, inaccurate recall of eating behaviors, sample differences, and laboratory design). We conclude with recommendations for future research on emotional eating.

IMPULS: Impulsivity-Focused Group Intervention to Reduce Binge Eating Episodes in Patients with Binge Eating Disorder – A Randomised Controlled Trial

“…For example, disrupted emotion regulation strategies might be another promising risk factor for BED, particularly the interaction of negative emotions with impulsive eating behaviour [for reviews, see 64, 65]. We have used the DEBQ to assess facets of impulsive eating; however, this instrument has previously been subject to critique for difficulties with construct and discriminative validity [66, 67]. Another important point is that the treatment duration was short with only 8 sessions.…”

The association between emotional eating and depressive symptoms: a population-based twin study in Sri Lanka

“…Even though psychometric questionnaires are common to facilitate large-scale quantitative genetic research, they are prone to introduce reporting biases. The use of questionnaires to quantify EOE behaviour has recently been criticised, as there is a lack of evidence for an association between self-rated EOE and objective energy intake, as well as the potential confounding factors related to EOE such as emotion regulation skills and negative affect [39, 40]. In addition, the adapted questionnaire used to assess EOE has not been formally validated in western or non-western populations.…”

Real Life Scenes to Study Emotions in Women

“…As a result, more data have been covered, problems have been identified more easily, and the intrinsic qualities of each method have been maintained. In addition, there have been fewer methodological limitations as compared to studies using only one of the methods (Domoff, Meers, Koball, & Musher-Eizenman, 2014;Dressler & Smith, 2013;Tonkin-Crine et al, 2016;Zhang & Creswell, 2013;Zhang & Watanabe-Galloway, 2014).…”

“…Methods available to assess the relationship between emotions and different types of behavior are complex: they involve many variables that can affect the emotional response and consequently the behavior under study (Adriaanse, de Ridder, & Evers, 2011;Domoff, Meers, Koball, & Musher-Eizenman, 2014). Videos are one of the most frequently used techniques to evoke emotions in experimental studies, because they combine visual and auditory stimuli and can elicit a plethora of emotions at different intensities.…”