Eating behavior patterns in individuals with functional gastrointestinal and somatic symptom disorders: a pilot study

Aim. To evaluate the internal consistency of the Ukrainian translation of the Adult Eating Behavior Questionnaire (AEBQ), and to identify differences in appetite and eating behavior between individuals with functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) and somatic symptom disorders (SSDs). Materials and methods. This pilot study enrolled 62 patients and 75 healthy controls. Study Group 1 (SG1; n = 29) comprised individuals diagnosed with FGIDs. Study Group 2 (SG2; n = 33) comprised individuals meeting DSM-5-TR criteria for SSD. The control group (CG; n = 75) consisted of healthy adults without gastrointestinal, somatic, or psychiatric diagnoses. Psychodiagnostic and statistical methods were used. Results. The AEBQ was translated into Ukrainian, and Cronbach’s α coefficients were calculated for the questionnaire subscales. The following values were obtained: Hunger (α = 0.69), Food Responsiveness (α = 0.70), Emotional Over-Eating (α = 0.85), Enjoyment of Food (α = 0.72), Satiety Responsiveness (α = 0.73), Emotional Under-Eating (α = 0.78), Food Fussiness (α = 0.52), and Slowness in Eating (α = 0.74). Between-group comparisons showed that SG2 had higher scores for Food Responsiveness (SG2 > CG, p = 0.02) and Emotional Over-Eating (SG2 > SG1/CG, p < 0.01), and lower scores for Emotional Under-Eating (SG2 < SG1/CG, p < 0.01). In SG1, lower Enjoyment of Food was found (SG1 < SG2/CG, p < 0.01), along with higher Satiety Responsiveness (SG1 > SG2, p < 0.01; SG1 > CG, p = 0.04) and Slowness in Eating (SG1 > SG2, p < 0.01). Conclusions. The Ukrainian version of the AEBQ demonstrated acceptable internal consistency for six of eight subscales, supporting its use in research settings. The Hunger subscale yielded borderline reliability (α = 0.69), which was anticipated. In contrast, the Food Fussiness subscale showed insufficient internal consistency (α = 0.52), which may be attributed to difficulties in processing reverse-scored items in this subscale. The observed eating behavior profiles suggest a tendency toward reduced appetite and food avoidance in individuals with FGIDs, contrasting with heightened eating engagement in those with SSDs.