Purpose: To assess the dimensionality and psychometric properties of the modified Yale Food Addiction Scale 2.0 (mYFAS 2.0) in an Italian non-clinical sample.
Methods: 262 adults (184 women) were administered the Italian versions of the mYFAS 2.0, and questionnaires measuring binge eating severity, anxiety and depression symptoms, and emotional dysregulation.
Results: 15 individuals (5.7%) met the criteria for a diagnosis of food addiction according to the mYFAS 2.0. Bayesian confirmatory factor analysis supported a single-factor solution for the mYFAS 2.0. The mYFAS 2.0 had good internal consistency (Ordinal α = 0.91), and convergent validity with binge eating severity (r = 0.67, p < 0.001), both anxiety (r = 0.31, p < 0.001) and depressive (r = 0.35, p < 0.001) symptoms, and difficulties in emotion regulation (r = 0.35, p < 0.001). Finally, both discriminant validity with dietary restraint (Gamma = 0.11; p = 0.52) and incremental validity in predicting binge eating severity over emotion dysregulation and psychopathology (b = 0.52; t = 11.11; p < 0.001) were confirmed.
Conclusions: The Italian mYFAS 2.0 has satisfactory psychometric properties and can be used as a brief instrument for the assessment of addictive eating behaviors when time constraints prevent the use of the original version.
Level of evidence: Level V, cross-sectional descriptive study.
Keywords: BMI; Bayesian confirmatory factor analysis; Binge eating; Food addiction; Psychopathology; mYFAS 2.0.