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Measuring loss of control over eating in a Chinese context: Psychometric properties of the full and brief Chinese version of the loss of control over eating scale

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Abstract

The Loss of Control over Eating Scale (LOCES) and its brief version are well-developed instruments providing comprehensive assessments of LOC eating. The present study aimed at translating the LOCES and its brief version into Chinese and evaluating their psychometric properties. Following standard procedures, the English version of the LOCES and its brief version were translated into Chinese (Mandarin), and then their psychometric properties were evaluated among 1237 Chinese undergraduate students recruited from three provinces in mainland China. The factor structures of the LOCES and its brief version were replicated in the present Chinese sample. Both the C-LOCES and its brief version showed a Cronbach’s α of 0.92. The total scores of the C-LOCES and its brief version showed significant correlations with theoretically correlated constructs: eating disturbances (rs = .37–.47, ps < .01), psychological distress (rs = .40–.52, ps < .01), and general self-control (rs = −.30, ps < .01). Furthermore, the C-LOCES and its brief version showed strong measurement invariance across gender groups. These findings suggest that the C-LOCES and its brief version can be reliable and valid tools to assess LOC eating in the non-clinical Chinese young adult population.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Education, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300350, China

    Jinbo He

  2. Hunan University, Changsha, Hunan, China

    Jinbo He

  3. University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI, USA

    Janet D. Latner

  4. Hunan Institute of Technology, Hengyang, Hunan, China

    Wen Wu

  5. Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen), Shenzhen, Guangdong, China

    Xitao Fan

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  1. Jinbo He
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Correspondence to Jinbo He.

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He, J., Latner, J.D., Wu, W. et al. Measuring loss of control over eating in a Chinese context: Psychometric properties of the full and brief Chinese version of the loss of control over eating scale. Curr Psychol 40, 665–674 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-018-9976-6

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