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The athletes’ relationships with training scale (ART): A self-report measure of unhealthy training behaviors associated with eating disorders
Current evidence points to eating disorders (EDs) being increasingly prevalent in athletes compared to non-athletes. This is postulated to be due to competitive sport participation, which subjects athletes to arduous physical-activity regimens, however, assessment of such regimens proves to be challenging due to the higher intensities and the longer durations of time that are required from athletes compared to non-athletes. As ED assessment tools were created utilizing non-athlete populations, it can be argued that they fail to evaluate the full scope of athletic experience. Thus, Chapa et al. (2018) sought to design and authenticate a self-report measurement tool to evaluate unhealthy training behaviors and beliefs held by athletes, named the Athletes’ Relationships with Training Scale (ART). After testing the scale on a sample of 267 female college athlete members of an ED prevention program, and 65 female athletes receiving treatment for ED, the results showed a substantial relationship between ART scores and the time spent seeking healthcare assistance for several complaints, and that ART scores were higher in athletes with EDs compared to those without. Furthermore, ART scores were shown to decrease substantially with effective ED treatment from admission to discharge. In conclusion, ART appears to be a beneficial, validated tool that can be used by clinicians and trainers to evaluate if their athletes suffer from unhealthy training behaviors that could necessitate medical intervention, and can aid in tracking treatment outcomes in athletes suffering from EDs. [NPID: Assessment, eating disorders, excessive exercise, scale development]
Year: 2018
