Measurement Invariance of the Exercise Addiction Inventory According to Eating Disorder Risk Status

Manuel Alcaraz-Ibáñez, Adrian Paterna, Mark D Griffiths, Zsolt Demetrovics

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

3 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The comparison of self-reported levels of risk of exercise addiction between individuals at-risk and not-at-risk of thinness-related eating disorders (EDs) has been an increasing topic of research. However, among these two population groups, there is a lack of evidence to support the invariant nature of the Exercise Addiction Inventory (EAI), one of the most utilized self-report instruments that assesses the risk of exercise addiction. The main aim of the present study was to provide evidence concerning the invariant nature of the EAI scores in terms of thinness-related EDs’ risk status. Data from 1187 Spanish undergraduate regular exercisers aged from 18 to 30 years (Mage = 20.92, SDage = 2.48) were analyzed employing multigroup confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) techniques. Results provided evidence of configural, metric, partial scalar (intercept of Item 1 freed up), and strict invariance of the EAI scores according to EDs’ risk status. Findings of the present study support the employment of the EAI for the purpose of conducting reasonably unbiased comparisons in self-reported levels of exercise addiction between individuals at risk and not at risk for EDs.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1452-1462
Number of pages11
JournalInternational Journal of Mental Health and Addiction
Volume22
Issue number3
Early online date20 Oct 2022
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jun 2024
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Behavioral addictions
  • Exercise dependence
  • Morbid exercise
  • Problematic exercise
  • Psychometrics

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