RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the psychometrics of the Rating of Eating Disorder Severity Interview for Children (REDS-C) and compare it with the Eating Disorder Inventory-2 symptom index. METHODS: The psychometrics of the REDS-C were analyzed utilizing data from 336 patients, of ages 8 to 18 years. Receiver operator curve analyses were performed to evaluate the ability of the REDS-C and the Eating Disorder Inventory-2 symptom index to discriminate severity of eating disorder symptoms in relationship to an objective standard, defined as hospitalisation for medical stabilisation beyond 1 week. RESULTS: Three factors were identified using 14 of the 16 original REDS-C items. Resulting subscales demonstrated acceptable reliability and validity. The receiver operator curve results demonstrated the usefulness of the 14-item version of the REDS-C in predicting hospitalisation greater than 7 days as an indicator of symptom severity. DISCUSSION: The 14-item REDS-C is a reliable tool to assist clinicians in evaluating the severity of eating disorder symptoms in children and adolescents.