Examination of the psychometric properties of the disordered eating questionnaire (DEQ) in a Turkish adult sample

Objective: This study aimed to address the need for a brief and practical screening inventory for the detection of eating disorders by adapting the Disordered Eating Questionnaire (DEQ) and examining its psychometric properties, including reliability and validity, in a Turkish adult sample. Method: The adapted DEQ was administered to 637 adults (Mage = 22.22, SD = 4.75), along with the Eating Disorders Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q) and the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT), to assess its validity. After removing 46 multivariate outliers, analyses were conducted with 591 participants. Construct validity was examined through EFA, CFA, and ESEM, while convergent and known-groups validity were tested using the EDE-Q, EAT, and BMI categories. Results: EFA supported a 15-item, four-factor structure after the elimination of five items (A2, A10, A11, B3, and B4). Factor solution reflected Restrictive Behaviors, Bingeing Behaviors, Self-esteem, and Body Concealment. CFA and ESEM further confirmed the four-factor structure and supported the presence of a higher-order general disordered eating factor showed an acceptable fit (χ2 = 265.139; CFI = 0.934; TLI = 0.918; 90% C.I. RMSEA = 0.074–0.097; SRMR = 0.056). Significant associations with the EDE-Q and EAT provided evidence of convergent validity. Known-groups analyses showed significant differences across BMI categories, with higher DEQ scores among participants in the overweight and obesity groups. Conclusion: Turkish DEQ is valid and reliable for assessing disordered eating behaviors in adults. Findings support a 15-item, four-factor structure with an overarching general disordered eating factor. Further studies should examine measurement invariance across more balanced sex and age groups.