Development and Initial Evaluation of the Athlete Eating Psychopathology Observation Questionnaire for Sport Professionals

in Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology

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Sebastian S. Sandgren School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, Loughborough University, Loughborough, United Kingdom
Department of Education and Sports Science, University of Stavanger, Stavanger, Norway

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https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8782-8454 *
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Emma Haycraft School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, Loughborough University, Loughborough, United Kingdom

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https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7359-1759 *
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Carolyn R. Plateau School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, Loughborough University, Loughborough, United Kingdom

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https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1256-1353 *
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1123/jcsp.2021-0108
Keywords:
athletes; coaches; disordered eating; eating disorders; practitioners
First Published Online:
08 Mar 2022
In Print:
Volume 17: Issue 3
Page Range:
271–289
Restricted access

Eating psychopathology symptoms are common in athletes; however, it is unknown which symptoms are detected and to what extent by sport professionals. This study aimed to develop and evaluate a self-report questionnaire to explore which features of eating psychopathology in athletes are detected by sport professionals, and how observation of these symptoms might vary. Thirty-one questions were developed and 232 sport professionals (56% male) participated in the study. Exploratory Factor Analysis revealed a 20-item, five-factor solution (Negative Affect, Dieting Practices, Fear of Eating in Social Contexts, Bingeing and Purging, and Compulsive Exercise). Participants most frequently reported observing athletes’ dieting practices, while symptoms of a fear of eating in social contexts were observed least frequently. This study has developed and preliminarily tested the Athlete Eating Psychopathology Observation Questionnaire (AEPOQ), which now requires further validation. The findings provide important directions for education initiatives with sport professionals regarding identification of eating psychopathology symptoms.

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