A psychometric examination of the cognitive flexibility scale and its association with Orthorexia Nervosa.

Autor: Zagaria A; Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy. andrea.zagaria@uniroma2.it.; Department of Systems Medicine, Tor Vergata University of Rome, Rome, Italy. andrea.zagaria@uniroma2.it., D'Amico M; Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy., Cerolini S; Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy., Mocini E; Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.; Department of Theoretical and Applied Sciences, eCampus University, Novedrate, Italy., Lombardo C; Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: BMC psychology [BMC Psychol] 2024 Dec 04; Vol. 12 (1), pp. 724. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Dec 04.
DOI: 10.1186/s40359-024-02179-6
Abstrakt: Background: The Cognitive Flexibility Scale (CFS) is a 12-item self-report questionnaire designed to assess cognitive flexibility. Despite its widespread use, its psychometric properties have yet to be evaluated in the Italian context. Furthermore, while cognitive flexibility has emerged as a central correlate in Feeding and Eating Disorders, only a limited number of studies have investigated its association with Orthorexia Nervosa (ON), a clinical condition characterized by a pathological fixation with healthy eating. The present study aimed to fill these two knowledge gaps.
Methods: A total of 803 participants (M age = 33.89, SD = 9.44; 68.6% females) were enrolled in the investigation. The sample was randomly split into two subsamples: the first one for examining the psychometric properties of the CFS, and the second one for evaluating its association with ON symptoms. Participants completed self-report questionnaires assessing the constructs under investigation.
Results: Confirmatory factor analysis revealed a global dimension of cognitive flexibility, alongside a method factor accounting for covariance arising by reverse-worded items. The CFS, which was factorially invariant across genders, yielded a reliable total score (ω = 0.834) and provided evidence of convergent and criterion-related validity. Importantly, structural equation modelling showed that cognitive flexibility was negatively associated with emotional distress resulting from violations of orthorexic dietary rules (β = -0.279, p < .001).
Conclusions: The CFS demonstrated to be a psychometrically robust instrument in the Italian context. Moreover, cognitive flexibility may be an important treatment target for mitigating the distress derived from ON symptoms, informing the development of future therapeutic approaches.
Competing Interests: Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study. The research was conducted in accordance with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments. This study was part of larger research projects focused on the assessment and correlates of orthorexic symptoms, approved by the Institutional Review Board of the Department of Psychology and the Ethics Committee of Sapienza University of Rome. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.
(© 2024. The Author(s).)
Databáze: MEDLINE
Externí odkaz: