Proprietà psicometriche del questionario in lingua italiana Eating Problem Checklist somministrato ad un campione di soggetti con disturbo dell’alimentazione

Abstract

The study of the changes occurring during psychological interventions is one of the main challenges faced by clinical researchers in the last years. This is why accurate tools are needed to capture rapid changes. The aim of this study is to present the validation of the Eating Problem Checklist (EPCL), a questionnaire developed in Italy to be administered session by session to assess the behaviors and psychopathology of eating disorders. A sample of 161 subjects with eating disorder and a sample of 379 healthy controls completed the EPCL. In addition, a subset of 75 patients completed it at each enhanced cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT-E) session. The analysis of the main components identified two factors (body image concerns and eating concerns) explaining, on the whole, 51.3% of the variance. The internal consistency, test-retest reliability, concurrent and criterion validity were good. Furthermore, the EPCL was found to be adequate to identify post-session changes of the eating disorder psychopathology, in subjects who received it during CBT-E. The EPCL proved to be a valid and reliable questionnaire. Its use in the clinical context can give relevant information on the weekly change in psychopathology and behaviors of patients with eating disorders.