Psychometric Properties of the Eating Beliefs Questionnaire (EBQ-18) in A Nonclinical Iranian Sample: A Transdiagnostic Measure

Objective: Binge eating is a transdiagnostic construct and one of the main components of eating and emotional disorders. Metacognitive beliefs about eating play an important role in the maintenance of binge eating. The Eating Beliefs Questionnaire (EBQ18) is a selfreport questionnaire, which measures negative, positive, and permissive beliefs about binge eating. This cross sectional study aims to assess the psychometric properties of the EBQ18 in a community sample. Methods: A total of 501 participants (413=females, 88=males) were selected through multistage cluster sampling and were administered the EBQ18, the Binge Eating Scale (BES), the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (DEBQ), the Body Image Concern Inventory (BICI), the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (AAQII), and the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale (UIS). Construct validity, internal consistency, convergent and divergent validity of the EBQ18 were determined using Exploratory Factor Analysis, Confirmatory Factor Analysis. Results: The EBQ18 possesses a three factor structure and a high internal consistency ( alpha;=.91). The EBQ18 showed convergent validity with the BES and the DEBQ, divergent validity with the BICI, AAQII, and The UIS. Conclusion: The goodness offit indices were acceptable and the data showed adequate fit to the three factor model. In conclusion, findings provide initial support for the validity and reliability of the EBQ18.