Assessment of eating disorders: Interview or self-report questionnaire?

• Published in: The International journal of eating disorders Vol. 16; no. 4; pp. 363 - 370
• Main Authors: Fairburn, Christopher G., Beglin, Sarah J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company 01.12.1994; Wiley
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Biological and medical sciences; Body Height; Body Mass Index; Body Weight; Feeding and Eating Disorders - psychology; Female; Humans; Interviews as Topic; Medical sciences; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychometrics. Diagnostic aid systems; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Self-Assessment; Surveys and Questionnaires; Techniques and methods; Human; Questionnaire; Evaluation scale; Psychometrics; Eating disorder; Validity; Adolescent; Clinical interview; Adult; Female; Diagnosis; Eating Disorders Examination; Comparative study
• ISSN: 0276-3478; 1098-108X

A detailed comparison was made of two methods for assessing the features of eating disorders. An investigator‐based interview was compared with a self‐report questionnaire based directly on that interview. A number of important discrepancies emerged. Although the two measures performed similarly with respect to the assessment of unambiguous behavioral features such as self‐induced vomiting and dieting, the selfreport questionnaire generated higher scores than the interview when assessing more complex features such as binge eating and concerns about shape. Both methods underestimated body weight. © 1994 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.