Fear of gaining weight: its validity as a visual analogue scale in anorexia nervosa

Abstract

Despite fear of gaining weight (FGW) being a criterion for diagnosing anorexia nervosa (AN) there are no validated scales that assess it directly. The convergent validity of a visual analogue scale to assess FGW was tested. On admission to an inpatient unit, 114 females with AN were administered the FGW then, some days later, the Goldfarb Fear of Fat Scale (GFFS) and Eating Disorders Inventory (EDI). Concurrent validity for the FGW and GFFS was strong (r = 0.836), as was construct validity, their relationships to the EDI subscales paralleling each other. The strongest relationship for FGW was with drive for thinness (EDI-DT) (r = 0.859). In 54 patients at discharge, predictive validity with EDI-DT was strong (r = 0.771). Reliability was moderate (r = 0.636). With statistical validity established, the FGW could prove useful in integrating theory, clinical work and research in AN. Its direct assessment in this study has already highlighted its strong relationships to some maintaining and risk factors in AN. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.