Thinness and Restricting Inventory (TREI)

Abstract

The Thinness and Restricting Inventory (TREI), often referred to interchangeably with the Thinness Expectancy Questionnaire (TEQ), is a specialized self-report measure designed to quantify positive outcome expectancy theory beliefs related to thinness and restrictive eating behaviors. Developed to assess the cognitive mechanisms underpinning disordered eating, the TREI hypothesizes that the anticipation of psychological, interpersonal, and functional rewards resulting from being thin or restricting food intake acts as a powerful motivational force. The instrument is utilized in clinical and research settings to gain deeper insight into the development and maintenance of eating disorders by isolating these specific cognitive distortions related to body image and control.

Keywords

Thinness Expectancy Questionnaire, TEQ, TREI, Restricting, Body Image, Expectancy Theory, Eating Disorders, Dieting, Self-Esteem, Psychological Assessment.

Authors

Ari R. Steinberg, L. A. Hohlstein, G. T. Smith, J. G. Atlas, Michael Coovert, Mark Goldman, Judy Becker Bryant.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the TREI is to quantify the strength of positive outcome expectancies related specifically to achieving thinness and engaging in diet restriction. These expectancies—the anticipation that thinness or restriction will yield personal, social, or functional rewards—are hypothesized to serve as powerful motivational factors in the etiology and maintenance of disordered eating behaviors, including anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.

By using an expectancy theory framework, the scale allows clinicians and researchers to isolate these specific cognitive beliefs, distinguishing them from general concerns about weight or physical appearance. Understanding these motivational pathways is critical for developing targeted cognitive-behavioral interventions for individuals struggling with body dissatisfaction and extreme dieting.

Construct

The TREI measures two primary, yet correlated, psychological constructs: Thinness Expectancies (TE) and Restricting Expectancies (RE). The scale is firmly grounded in the principles of expectancy theory, which posits that behavior is strongly influenced by the anticipated positive consequences of that action.

Thinness Expectancies (TE) relate to the core belief that achieving a thin physique will result in significant positive outcomes across various life domains, such as improved social status, greater self-reliance, enhanced attractiveness, and higher self-esteem. Restricting Expectancies (RE), conversely, relate to the belief that the act of limiting food intake or engaging in strict dieting itself yields positive emotional or psychological rewards, such as feelings of competence, control, discipline, and emotional upliftment, independent of actual weight loss.

Validity

Validation studies, primarily conducted during the development of the TEQ/TREI (Steinberg, 2004; Hohlstein et al., 1998), demonstrated strong construct validity. Factor analysis confirmed that the scale items successfully loaded onto the theorized factors (Thinness and Restricting Expectancies), indicating that the measure accurately reflects the underlying cognitive structure it was designed to assess.

The measure exhibits significant criterion validity through strong correlations with established measures of eating pathology, such as the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI) and the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT). Furthermore, the instrument has shown excellent discriminant validity by correlating more strongly with specific psychological variables highly relevant to eating pathology (e.g., drive for thinness, body dissatisfaction) than with general measures of depression or negative affect, confirming its specificity to the domain of disordered eating cognitions.

Reliability

The reliability of the TREI is primarily demonstrated through measures of internal consistency. High Cronbach’s alpha coefficients have been consistently reported for both the overall scale and its respective subscales (Thinness Expectancy and Restricting Expectancy). These robust coefficients suggest that the items within each factor are highly homogeneous and measure a consistent underlying construct with minimal measurement error.

Factor Analysis

Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses performed during the initial development and subsequent validation phases consistently support a multi-factor structure, typically identifying two distinct, yet moderately correlated, factors: Thinness Expectancy (TE) and Restricting Expectancy (RE). This two-factor model provides a nuanced understanding of motivational drivers, suggesting that the pursuit of thinness and the maintenance of dieting behavior are often driven by separable sets of anticipated rewards.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report questionnaire / Psychological assessment scale

Format: 44 items rated on a 7-point Likert scale (1=Completely Disagree to 7=Completely Agree).

Language Available: English (primary development language)

Population Group: Clinical and non-clinical populations, particularly those exhibiting high levels of body image disturbance and disordered eating behaviors.

Age Group: Adolescents and Adults (primarily validated on college-aged samples)

Population Details: Initial studies focused on university students, providing a baseline for understanding cognitive expectancies in young adults vulnerable to eating disorders. Subsequent use extends to various populations undergoing clinical evaluation for eating pathology.

Test Methodology: Respondents rate their agreement with each statement using the following 7-point scale: 1=Completely Disagree, 2=Mostly Disagree, 3=Slightly Disagree, 4=Neither Agree Nor Disagree, 5=Slightly Agree, 6=Mostly Agree, 7=Completely Agree. Total scores or subscale scores are calculated by summing the responses, with higher scores indicating stronger positive expectancies regarding thinness and restriction.

Keywords

Thinness Expectancy, Restricting Expectancy, Motivational Factors, Psychological Assessment, Cognitive Mechanisms, Disordered Eating, TEQ, TREI, Body Dissatisfaction.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not specified in source material.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not specified in source material.

Correspondence Address: University of South Florida (Primary institutional affiliation for dissertation research).

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The TREI/TEQ was formally developed and validated in 2004 as part of a Ph.D. dissertation by Ari R. Steinberg. The instrument is generally available for non-commercial academic research purposes, often without a fee, though researchers are advised to contact the primary author or the University of South Florida for formal permission before use. The full instrument and validation details are often accessible via the university’s digital repository.

Reference’s

• Hohlstein, L.A., Smith, G.T., & Atlas, J.G. (1998). An application of expectancy theory to eating disorders: Development and validation of measures of eating and dieting expectancies. Psychological Assessment, 10, 49-58.

• Steinberg, Ari R. (2004). The development and validation of the Thinness Expectancy Questionnaire (TEQ). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. University of South Florida. The full text is available online: http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/1257 and http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2256&context=etd.

• Steinberg, Ari R., Coovert, Michael, Goldman, Mark, Bryant, Judy Becker (2004). The Development And Validation Of The Thinness Expectancy Questionnaire (TEQ). University of South Florida. Ph.D. Dissertations.

Items of the Thinness and Restricting Inventory (TREI)

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

1. I would feel like I could conquer things more easily if I were thin.

2. I would be more self-reliant and independent if I felt thin.

3. I fell great when I limit the amount I eat.

4. I would be more attractive if I were thin.

5. I would feel better about myself if I were thin.

6. My family would be more proud of me if I were thin.

7. When I limit what I eat‚ others respect me.

8. My problems would appear less troublesome if I were thin.

9. When I limit what I eat‚ others notice me more.

10. Restricting what I eat makes me feel good about myself.

11. I would be more attractive to the opposite sex if I were thin.

12. When I limit what I eat‚ I am more assertive.

13. I would feel stronger if I were thin.

14. If I were thin‚ I would gain more attention from friends.

15. I would feel less stressed‚ in general‚ if I were thin.

16. When I limit what I eat‚ I feel more capable and competent.

17. I would be happy if I were thin.

18. I would handle myself better in social situations if I were thin.

19. I feel more enthusiastic about doing other things after I’ve limited what I’ve eaten.

20. When I limit what I eat‚ I am more attractive.

21. I would feel more capable and competent if I were thin.

22. I would be more physically attractive to others if I were thin.

23. If I were thin‚ there would be one less thin to worry about.

24. When I stick to a strict diet‚ I feel more in control of my life.

25. My family would complement me more if I were thin.

26. If I were thin‚ I would feel like a disciplined person.

27. I would feel more like an adult if I were thin.

28. If I were thin‚ I’d do better in school or at my job.

29. If I were thin‚ I would feel more worthwhile.

30. It is emotionally uplifting to limit the amount of food I eat.

31. I feel less guilty when I limit what I eat.

32. Others would think more highly of me if I were thin.

33. I would feel like I could do whatever I wanted to if I were thin.

34. I would cope better with failures at work or school if I were thin.

35. My self-image would improve if I were thin.

36. Even though others may try to control my life‚ limiting what I eat gives me one area where I feel in control.

37. I would feel more attractive if I were thin.

38. It would show my parents that I am in control‚ if I were thin.

39. People think more highly of me when I restrict what I eat.

40. I would fit in more if I were thin.

41. It increases my self-esteem to limit what I eat.

42. If I were thin‚ it would improve my appearance.

43. Being thin would be a boost to my self-esteem.

44. Being thin would improve everything in my life.