Criterion and Incremental Validity of the MMPI-3 Eating Concerns Scale in a University Sample

Abstract

The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the validity of scores on the Eating Concerns (EAT) scale on the recently released Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-3 (MMPI-3), which aims to assess for problematic eating behaviours. It was hypothesised that the EAT scale scores would be correlated with binge eating, purging, restrictive eating, weight and body shape concerns. Participants were 396 university students, who completed a series of well-validated eating disorder measures. The EAT scale scores evidenced moderate to large correlations with many symptom dimensions of EDs, including binge eating, purging, restrictive eating and weight and shape concern, thus, supporting the hypotheses and showing evidence for criterion validity. Hierarchical regression analyses also revealed incremental validity for the EAT scale above and beyond other MMPI-3 Specific Problems scale scores. Overall, scores on the new MMPI-3 EAT scale were associated with positive support for validity in a university population and seem promising as a good screening measure for eating pathology.

Additional Validation of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-3 (MMPI-3) Eating Concerns Scale

“…Regarding the combined-gender results from Vaňousová et al (2022), the pattern of correlations was generally similar to the findings of the current study. As delineated in Table 2, 95% confidence intervals of correlations observed in our investigation for the combined-gender sample all overlapped with those reported by Vaňousová et al (2022).…”

“… Note. Correlation coefficients are Spearman’s ρ for current study and Vaňousová et al (2022), Pearson’s r for other sources. MMPI-3 Normative sample values are drawn from the MMPI-3-Technical Manual (Ben-Porath & Tellegen, 2020b).…”

“…Therefore, the current study was designed to address four goals. First, we sought to replicate the validity data between the EAT and the EDE-Q scores in the MMPI-3 Technical Manual and compare our findings to those of other recent external research reports using college students as participants (Marek & Anderson, 2022; Morris et al, 2023; Vaňousová et al, 2022). Specifically, we expected to find strong correlations (≥.50) between EAT scale and EDE-Q Global Index and Eating Concern subscale, as well as moderate correlations (≥.30) between the EAT scale and the EDE-Q Restraint, Shape Concern, and Weight Concern subscales in women based on correlations reported for women in past studies (Marek & Anderson, 2022; Morris et al, 2023).…”

“…Third, we hypothesized that the EAT total score would predict each of the six behavioral frequency count items on the EDE-Q to a meaningful degree, and that individual EAT items would make differential predictions consistent with item content (e.g., EAT binge item should correlate most highly with binge behaviors on the EDE-Q, etc.). Finally, following Marek and Anderson (2022) and Vaňousová et al (2022), we predicted that EAT would contribute significant incremental validity, over and above all other MMPI-3 scales, in predicting EDE-Q scale scores and total score as well as individual behavioral frequency counts.…”

“…Marek et al (2021) examined convergent validity of the EAT scale in a bariatric surgery sample; when the EAT scale was administered 5 years postoperative, EAT scale scores showed significant correlations across several of the EDE-Q scale scores and there was a significant correlation between EAT scores and weight regain 5 years postsurgery. Vanˇousova´et al (2022) examined correlations between the new EAT scale and other well-validated measures of eating pathology, including the EDE-Q, in a New Zealand college sample. They found significant and modest associations between the EAT scale and many of the various measures of eating pathology using a combined-gender sample but did not examine differential correlates by gender.…”