Construction and validation of the Questionnaire of Specific Cognitions related to Eating Disorders (CE-TCA)

This paper describes the process of constructing a questionnaire for “Specific Cognitions related to Eating Disorders” (CE-TCA in Spanish), which measures specific cognitions that commonly take place in patients suffering eating disorders, and provides evidence regarding its psychometric properties. The final 26-item version was administered to four population samples: college students (n= 125), adolescent boys (n= 124), adolescent girls (n= 107), and eating disorder female patients (n= 40). High levels of internal consistency (α≥ 0.90) and test-retest reliability indices at two weeks and six months (r≥ 0.80) were obtained. CE-TCA scores showed an adequate convergent validity with EAT-40 and CIMEC scores (r≥ 0.50). Furthermore, CE-TCA scores predicted EAT-40 scores six months later. Therefore, CE-TCA has proven to be a valid and reliable questionnaire for measuring specific cognitions associated with eating disorders, both in a clinical and community populations.