Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-t7czq Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-28T17:20:37.977Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

The Eating Attitudes Test: psychometric features and clinical correlates

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2009

David M. Garner*
Affiliation:
Clarke Institute of Psychiatry and the University of Toronto, Canada
Marion P. Olmsted
Affiliation:
Clarke Institute of Psychiatry and the University of Toronto, Canada
Yvonne Bohr
Affiliation:
Clarke Institute of Psychiatry and the University of Toronto, Canada
Paul E. Garfinkel
Affiliation:
Clarke Institute of Psychiatry and the University of Toronto, Canada
*
1Address for correspondence: Dr David M. Garner. Clarke Institute of Psychiatry. 250 College Street. Toronto. Ontario M5T I R8. Canada.

Synopsis

Psychometric and clinical correlates of the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT) are described for a large sample of female anorexia nervosa (N = 160) and female comparison (N = 140) subjects. An abbreviated 26-item version of the EAT (EAT-26) is proposed, based on a factor analysis of the original scale (EAT-40). The EAT-26 is highly correlated with the EAT-40 (r = 0·98) and three factors form subscales which are meaningfully related to bulimia, weight, body-image variables and psychological symptoms. Whereas there are no differces between bulimic and restricter anorexia nervosa patients on the total EAT-26 and EAT-40 scores, these groups do indicate significant differences on EAT-26 fractors. Norms for the anorexia nervosa and female comparison subjects are presented for the EAT-26, EAT-40 and the EAT-26 factors. It is concluded that the EAT-26 is a reliable, valid and economical instrument which may be useful as an objective measure of the symptoms of anorexia nervosa.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1982

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Berscheid, E.. Walster, E. & Hohrnstedt, G. (1973). The happy American body: A survey report. Psychology Today. 11, 119131.Google Scholar
Button, E. J. & Whitehouse, A. (1981). Subclinical anorexia nervosa. Psychological Medicine 11, 509516.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bruch, H. (1973). Eating Disorders. Basic Books: New York.Google Scholar
Cattell, R. B. (1966). The scree test for the number of factors. Multivariate Behavioral Research 1, 245276.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Crisp, A. H. (1980). Anorexia Nervosa: Let Me Be. Grune and Stratton: New York.Google Scholar
Crisp, A. H., Hsu, L. K. G. & Stonehill, E. (1979). Personality, body weight and ultimate outcome in anorexia nervosa. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry 40, 332335.Google ScholarPubMed
Derogatis, L., Lipman, R., Rickels, K.. Uhlenhuth, E. H. & Covi, L. (1974). The Hopkins Symptom Checklist (HSCL): a self-report symptom inventory. Behavioural Science 19, 115.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Feighner, J. P., Robins, E., Guze, S. B., Woodruff, R. A., Winokur, G. & Munoz, R. (1972). Diagnostic criteria for use in psychiatric research. Archives of General Psychiatry 26, 5763.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fichter, M. M. & Keeser, W. (1980). Das Anorexia Nervosa inventar zur Selbstbeurteilung (ANIS). Archiv für Psychiatric und Nervenkrankheiten 228, 6789.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Garfinkel, P. E. & Garner, D. M. (1982).Anorexia Nervosa: A Multidimensional Perspective. Brunner/Mazel: New York.Google Scholar
Garfinkel, P. E., Moldofsky, H. & Garner, D. M. (1977). Prognosis in anorexia nervosa as influenced by clinical features, treatment and self-perception. Canadian Medical Association Journal 117. 10411045.Google ScholarPubMed
Garfinkel, P. E., Moldofsky, H. & Garner, D. M. (1979). The stability of perceptual disturbances in anorexia nervosa. Psychological Medicine 9, 703708.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Garfinkel, P. E., Moldofsky, H. & Garner, D. M. (1980). The heterogeneity of anorexia nervosa. Archives of General Psychiatry 37, 10361040.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Garner, D. M. & Garfinkel, P. E. (1979). The Eating Attitudes Test: an index of the symptoms of anorexia nervosa. Psychological Medicine 9, 273279.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Garner, D. M. & Garfinkel, P. E. (1980). Socio-cultural factors in the development of anorexia nervosa. Psychological Medicine 10. 647656.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Garner, D. M. & Garfinkel, P. E. (1981). Body image in anorexia nervosa: Measurement, theory and clinical implications. International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine 11, 263284.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Garner, D. M., Garfinkel, P. E., Stancer, H. C. & Moldofsky, H. (1976). Body image disturbances in anorexia nervosa and obesity. Psychosomatic Medicine 38. 227237.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Garner, D. M., Olmsted, M. P. & Polivy, J. (1982). The eating disorder inventory: a measure of cognitive/behavioural dimensions of anorexia nervosa and bulimia. In Anorexia Nervosa: Recent Developments (ed. Darby, P. L., Garfinkel, P. E., Garner, D. M. and Coscina, D. V.). Allan R. Liss: New York (in the press).Google Scholar
Goldberg, S. C., Halmi, K. A., Casper, R., Eckert, E. & Davis, J. M. (1977). Pretreatment predictors of weight change in anorexia nervosa. In Anorexia Nervosa (ed. Vigersky, R. A.), pp. 3142. Raven Press: New York.Google Scholar
Goldberg, S. C., Halmi, K. A., Eckert, E. D., Casper, R. C., Davis, J. M. & Roper, M. (1980). Attitudinal dimensions in anorexia nervosa. Journal of Psychiatric Research 15, 239251.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Halmi, K. A., Goldberg, S. C., Eckert, E., Casper, R. & Davis, J. M. (1977). Pretreatment evaluation in anorexia nervosa. In Anorexia Nervosa (ed. Vigersky, R. A.), pp. 4354. Raven Press: New York.Google ScholarPubMed
Hawkins, R. C. & Clement, P. F. (1980 a). Binge eating syndrome: The measurement problem and a conceptual model.Presented at the Annual Meeting of the Association for the Advancement of Behavior Therapy,New York.Google Scholar
Hawkins, R. C. & Clement, P. F. (1980 b). Development and construct validation of a self-report measure of binge eating tendencies. Addictive Behaviors 5, 219226.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Health and Welfare Canada (1954). Canadian Average Weights for Height. Age and Sex. Nutrition Discussion of the Department of Health and Welfare: Ottawa.Google Scholar
Hood, J., Moore, T. E. & Garner, D. M. (1982). Locus of control as a measure of ineffectiveness in anorexia nervosa. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 50, 313.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Nunnally, J. C. (1967). Psychometric Theory. McGraw-Hill: New York.Google Scholar
Myers, J. L. (1979). Fundamentals of Experimental Design. Allyn and Bacon Inc.: Boston.Google Scholar
Reid, D. W. & Ware, E. E. (1973). Multidimensionality of internal external control: implications for past and future research. Canadian Journal of Behavioral Science 5, 264271.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Selvini-Palazzoli, M. P. (1974). Anorexia Nervosa. Chaucer: London.Google Scholar
Slade, P. D. (1973). A short anorexic behaviour scale. British Journal of Psychiatry 122, 8385.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Slade, P. D. & Russell, G. F. M. (1973). Awareness of body dimension in anorexia ervosa: cross-sectional and longitudinal studies. Psychological Medicine 3, 188199.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Strober, M. (1981). The relation of personality characteristics to body image disturbances in juvenile anorexia nervosa: a multivariate analysis. Psychosomatic Medicine 43. 323330.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Thompson, M. G. & Schwartz, D. M. (1982). Life adjustment of women with anorexia nervosa and anorexic-like behavior. International Journal of Eating Disorders I, 4760.3.0.CO;2-W>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wardle, J. (1980). Dietary restraint and binge eating. Behavior Analysis and Modification 4, 201209.Google Scholar