Validation of eating disorder examination questionnaire (EDE-Q) -Spanish version- for screening eating disorders

This research examines the internal consistency, convergent validity, and sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive value of the Spanish version of the Eating Disorder Examination-Self- Report Questionnaire (S-EDE-Q), as a screening questionnaire for eating disorders (ED) in a community sample. Participants were 1543 male and female Spanish-speaking students (age range: 12-21 years), who volunteered to complete the S-EDE-Q and the EAT-40. The Spanish version of the Eating Disorders Examination (S-EDE) interview, 12th edition, was administered to 602 of the students. Acceptable internal consistency for the four subscales of the S-EDE-Q was obtained (α ≥.74). Corrected pointbiserial correlation performed with the 22 items included in the S-EDE-Q subscales showed acceptable values for all the items. The EAT-40 Dieting subscale correlated highly and positively with the four SEDE- Q subscales (r ≥.70). Acceptable results in sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive value when compared with the EDE were found. Correlation between S-EDE and S-EDEQ diagnoses was positive and significant. Overall, results support the psychometric adequacy of the SEDE-Q as a screening questionnaire for ED in community samples. © 2012 by The Spanish Journal of Psychology.