Introduction

Eating disorders are serious illnesses with a complex, heterogeneous etiology. Sociocultural pressure from the media, family, and peers are among the risk factors associated with their emergence.

Objective

To design, obtain construct and convergent validity, total and test-retest reliability at three weeks of a Family Pressure To Be Thin Questionnaire in a Mexican university population, and undertake a comparison with a clinical group diagnosed with an eating disorder, and by sex.

Method

The study was undertaken with a sample of 369 university students (men/women/non-binary) and 50 subjects diagnosed with an eating disorder. Exploratory factor analysis and first and second order confirmatory factor analysis were performed and the reliability of the scale and the test-retest reliability at three weeks were obtained. Correlations were analyzed to obtain concurrent validity with the Family Pressure Subscale of the Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Scale (SATAQ-4), and comparisons were made with the clinical group and by sex.

Results

Based on the exploratory factor analysis, the scale was divided into eight factors, reduced to seven in the confirmatory factor analysis, and 10 questions were eliminated, with a model that fit the data. A Cronbach’s Alpha value of .94 was obtained and test-retest reliability was .86.

Discussion and conclusion

The results highlight the importance of contextualizing the family environment when examining eating disorders, with interventions aimed at reducing criticism of bodies and food being crucial. The scale consisted of 29 items divided into seven factors and was valid and reliable for the sample studied and will be useful for detecting one of the sociocultural risk factors for eating disorders.

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