Psychometric properties of the Pride in Eating Pathology Scale in a Spanish population

The study of eating disorders emphasizes the role of certain emotions, such as pride, for example, in achieving a low weight or controlling eating behavior. We propose the Spanish validation of the Pride in Eating Pathology Scale (PEP-S), developed by Faija et al. (2017), to measure this type of complex or self-conscious emotions. This article confirms the usefulness of the PEP-S in the context of the general population, different from the context of the clinical population in which it was validated, which implies a generalization of its possibilities. In addition, as a novelty, it includes male participants, who are also subjected to the social pressure on body and appearance. This validation of the PEP-S was carried out in a large sample of men and women aged 18 to 34, a time of life when concerns about the body and eating behavior acquire importance. It is worth special mention that the results of its designers were confirmed, with psychometric indicators guaranteeing that the instrument can be used with consistency of measurement (reliability) and usefulness (validity) in the general population. Men and women respond to the instrument the same, that is, they understand the scale the same way. The scores of women on the PEP-S are higher in terms of pride about the body and eating behavior. Future studies should test these promising results in a clinical population.