Construct validity of the three-factor eating questionnaire: Flexible and rigid control subscales

This study investigated the construct validity of two dietary restraint subscales, flexible control (FC) and rigid control (RC), identified by Westenhoefer (1991; Appetite, 16, 45–55) as a subset of the restraint scale items from the Three‐Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ, Stunkard & Messick. [...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:The International journal of eating disorders 1994-09, Vol.16 (2), p.187-198
Main Authors: Shearin, Edward N., Russ, Mark J., Hull, James W., Clarkin, John F., Smith, Gerard P.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Biological and medical sciences
Body Mass Index
Diet, Reducing - psychology
Feeding and Eating Disorders - diagnosis
Feeding and Eating Disorders - psychology
Feeding Behavior
Female
Hospitalization
Humans
Inhibition (Psychology)
Internal-External Control
Medical sciences
Personality Disorders - diagnosis
Personality Disorders - psychology
Personality Inventory - statistics & numerical data
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychometrics
Psychometrics. Diagnostic aid systems
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Techniques and methods
Citations: Items that this one cites
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:This study investigated the construct validity of two dietary restraint subscales, flexible control (FC) and rigid control (RC), identified by Westenhoefer (1991; Appetite, 16, 45–55) as a subset of the restraint scale items from the Three‐Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ, Stunkard & Messick. [1985]. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 29, 71–83). The subjects were 31 women on long‐term personality disorder units. Based on the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM‐III‐R (SCID), 68% has past anorexia and/or bulimia diagnoses and 94% were borderline. The subjects completed the TFEQ and supplied weight and height data for body mass index (BMI) calculations. The results supported the validity of the two restraint constructs by showing that FC was inversely related to BMI and predicted an anorexia diagnosis. In contrast, RC directly predicted BMI when tested concurrently with FC. RC was also more associated with a history of bulimia and problems with weight fluctuations than FC was. Thus, the FC‐RC distinction was valid and useful in this population of women. © 1994 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
ISSN:0276-3478
1098-108X
DOI:10.1002/1098-108X(199409)16:2<187::AID-EAT2260160210>3.0.CO;2-U