The paper brought focus to the steps involved in developing and validating a new Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI) measure. A 64-item multi-scale self-reported measure, the EDI allows for ready assessment of behavioral and psychological traits often associated with AN and bulimia patients. Within the EDI are eight sub‐scales that measure elements such as “Drive for Thinness,” “Body Dissatisfaction,” “Interpersonal Distrust,” “Maturity Fears,” and “Perfectionism.”
The format of the questionnaire is one in which subjects select on the “always” to “never” scale on forced choice items. The EDI represented a step forward in its efforts to “isolate and objectively measure” specific, well-documented psychological features associated with anorexia nervosa syndrome. Supported by validity and reliability data, it offered an “economical instrument” in evaluating traits common among those with eating disorders.
