Validation of a new screening questionnaire for disordered eating behaviors in men.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to develop an instrument to identify disordered eating behaviors (DEB) in college men (hereafter, DEBM-Q). METHODS: A two-stage project consisting of a diagnostic scale construction (n1 = 9 for interviews, n2 = 9 for cognitive laboratory) and a validation study with a cross-sectional sample (N = 570) was carried out. Both semi-structured interviews and a cognitive laboratory with nine participants were conducted to obtain DEBM-Q items. DEBM-Q was applied to 570 freshmen male in Mexico City. Psychometric characteristics and internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) were analyzed. An item-total correlation value greater than 0.30 was determined, and factor loads greater than 0.40 were considered valid. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA, n1 = 297) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA, n2 = 273) were performed. RESULTS: Two fixed factors explaining 55.08% of the total variance were extracted. Factor 1, "Drive for Thinness" (8 items), explained 30.84% of the variance, whereas factor 2, "Drive for Muscularity" (8 items), explained 24.23% of the variance. Cronbach's alpha for the whole questionnaire was 0.84. DEBM-Q was correlated with the Dutch Food Restriction Scale (RS) (r = 0.52, p < 0.001), Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire (EDE-Q) (r = 0.46, p < 0.001), Emotional Eating Scale (EES) (r = 0.18, p < 0.001), and Negative Affect Subscale (PANAS-X) (r = 0.11, p < 0.005). CONCLUSION: DEBM-Q is a valid and practical short screening tool (16 items) allowing early identification of disordered eating in young men, thereby facilitating clinical management. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level V: Opinions of authorities, based on descriptive studies, narrative reviews, clinical experience, or reports of expert committees.

Modelo de interiorización y exteriorización para explicar el inicio de la psicopatología de los trastornos alimentarios en la adolescencia / An internalizing and externalizing model to explain the psychopathology onset of the eating disorders at adolescence

La etiología de los trastornos del comportamiento alimentario (TCA) es compleja y múltiples modelos han intentado conceptualizarla. El objetivo de este estudio fue determinar si los comportamientos interiorizados y exteriorizados son factores de riesgo generales de psicopatología o específicos de los TCA y que componentes sintomatológicos del TCA están relacionados con estos comportamientos. Para ello, se utilizó un diseño transversal caso-control para comparar los TCA de inicio (n = 50) con tres grupos de control: un grupo con patología psiquiátrica (trastornos depresivos [TD], n = 40), otro con patología psicosomática (asma, n = 40) y un grupo control sin patología (n = 50). La muestra está compuesta por 180 mujeres adolescentes de 12-18 años y sus familias emparejadas por edad y estatus socioeconómico. Los resultados obtenidos indican que la interiorización es un factor de riesgo general para la psicopatología de TCA y TD, y que en los TCA está asociada específicamente con la obsesión por la delgadez, la ineficacia, la conciencia interoceptiva, la depresión, la ansiedad rasgo y la sintomatología obsesivo-compulsiva. Así, se entiende la elevada comorbilidad de los TCA con otros comportamientos interiorizados

The etiology of eating disorders (ED) is complex, and multiple models have attempted to conceptualize it. The objective of this study was to determine whether internalizing and externalizing behaviors are general proximal risk factors for psychopathology or specific for ED, and which symptomatic components of ED are related to these behaviors. Hence, a cross-case-control design was used to compare eating disorders at onset (n = 50) with three control groups: a group with psychiatric pathologies (depressive disorders [DD], n = 40), a group with psychosomatic pathology (asthma, n = 40), and a control group without pathologies (n = 50). The entire sample is made up of 180 adolescent women aged 12-18 years and their families matched by age and socioeconomic status. The results obtained indicate that internalization is a general risk factor for the psychopathology of ED and mood disorders, and that in ED it is specifically associated with a drive for thinness, ineffectiveness, interoceptive awareness, depression, trait-anxiety and obsessive-compulsive symptomatology. Thus, the high comorbidity of ED is associated mainly with other internalizing behaviors

The Spanish Validation of the Accommodation and Enabling Scale for Eating Disorders Among Carers: A Pilot Study.

Literature suggests that families may accommodate patients' symptoms in attempts to alleviate family conflict and stress. These accommodating and enabling behaviours may have a negative impact on carers and those they care for. There are no self-report questionnaires validated in Spanish to measure accommodation among relatives of patients with an eating disorder. The aim of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the Accommodation and Enabling Scale for Eating Disorders (AESED-S) among relatives of eating disorder patients. A cross-sectional study of 90 relatives was carried out to explore the factor structure, reliability and validity of the AESED-S. The internal consistency of the Spanish version of the AESED subscales was good, ranging from .89 to .81. The correlation of the five subscales with conceptually related measures (negative caregiving experience and distress) supports the convergent validity of this instrument in this sample. Results indicated that the Spanish version of the AESED provides a reliable and valid tool for assessing family accommodation in the context of having a relative with an eating disorder.