Development and initial validation of a self-report measure to assess eating disorderspecific interoceptive perception

Interoceptive deficits – particularly with respect to the perception of emotions, hunger, and
satiety – constitute important targets for intervention in eating disorders (EDs). Suitable self4
report measures to identify these deficits, however, are lacking. We, therefore, developed and
validated a multidimensional questionnaire to assess eating disorder-specific interoceptive
perception (EDIP) in terms of the ability to perceive and discriminate between emotions, hunger,
and satiety. In two independent samples with a total of 2058 individuals (22.74% with self8
reported EDs), exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses revealed a four-factor solution of
the EDIP Questionnaire (EDIP-Q) with the subscales Emotions, Hunger, Satiety, and
Discrimination. The EDIP-Q has sound psychometric properties and was related to convergent
questionnaires but unrelated to divergent self-report measures, supporting its construct validity.
Participants with self-reported EDs had significantly lower EDIP-Q scores compared to
participants without self-reported ED diagnosis. While individuals with self-reported anorexia
nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN) and binge-eating disorder (BED) report similar difficulties
in perceiving emotions, participants with BN and BED report greater difficulties in perceiving
satiety and differentiating between hunger and emotional states compared to participants with
AN. In contrast, individuals with AN report higher sensibility to satiety, but lower sensibility to
hunger compared to individuals with BN and BED. The EDIP-Q is a valuable clinical tool to
establish profiles of deficits in EDIP that provides the basis for developing more targeted
treatment approaches for EDs.