The Eating Disorder Inventory: a test of the factor structure and internal consistency in a nonclinical sample.

My objective was to investigate the factor structure and internal consistency of the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI) among a nonclinical sample. Previous research has indicated that although the EDI appears to be psychometrically sound when used with a clinical sample, the relevance of the measure for a nonclinical population is uncertain. Six hundred forty-seven female university students, average age of 23.3 years, completed a questionnaire including the EDI. I found that the factor structure was supported when items from just five subscales of the EDI were included in the analysis, but when items pertaining to all eight subscales were analysed the factor structure was not supported. The current results cast doubt on the factor structure and internal consistency of the EDI when used with a nonclinical sample, unless just five subscales (drive for thinness, perfectionism, bulimia, interpersonal distrust, and maturity fears) are included. More research is needed to clarify the implications of these findings.