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

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 alpha 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.