Convergent and discriminant validity of the Emotional Eating Scale Adapted for Children and Adolescents (EES-C) Short-Form

Background: Emotional eating is associated with a number of negative outcomes in children and adolescents, including higher levels of loss of control eating (i.e., the inability to control the amount of food consumed). There is a need for psychometrically sound and feasible measures that assess emotional eating in children and adolescents. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the convergent and discriminant validity of the 10 item Emotional Eating Scale Adapted for Children and Adolescents (EES-C) Short-Form in a community sample of adolescents. We also sought to assess the reliability and structural validity of this measure. Methods: Participants were 128 adolescents ages 13 to 19 years (mean age = 15.10 years; SD = 2.09; 53.9% female). Most participants fell within the healthy BMI range (58.6%). Participants completed the EES-C Short Form, the loss of control eating section of the Questionnaire on Eating and Weight Patterns-Adolescent Version 5, the Gratitude Questionnaire-Six-Item Form, and a demographic questionnaire. Results: Convergent validity of the EES-C Short-Form was supported in that adolescents who endorsed loss of control eating reported significantly greater levels of emotional eating (mean = 24.37; SD = 8.94) compared to adolescents who did not endorse loss of control eating (mean = 19.42; SD = 7.33; p <= .01; d = 0.61). The EESC Short-Form was significantly correlated with a subjective measure of loss of control eating (rs = -0.255; p = .004), further demonstrating convergent validity. The EES-C Short-Form exhibited discriminant validity as demonstrated by a small, non-significant correlation with the Gratitude Questionnaire-Six-Item Form (rs = 0.086; p = .347). The EES-C Short-Form demonstrated acceptable reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.84; Ordinal alpha = 0.88; Coefficient omega = 0.85) and a unidimensional factor structure (CFI = 0.98; NNFI = 0.98; RMSEA = 0.08). Conclusions: These data contribute to the existing research that support the EES-C Short-Form as a reliable and valid measure for assessing emotional eating in children and adolescents.