Validity and reliability of the pica, ARFID and rumination disorder interview- ARFID questionnaire (PARDI-AR-Q) in Turkish adults

Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) is increasingly recognized as a clinically significant eating disorder across the lifespan, yet psychometrically validated assessment tools in non-English-speaking adult populations remain scarce. The Pica, ARFID and Rumination Disorder Interview–ARFID Questionnaire (PARDI-AR-Q) is a brief self-report measure designed to assess core ARFID symptom dimensions, but its validity in Turkish-speaking adults has not been examined. This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the PARDI-AR-Q in an adult sample. A total of 1,343 university students aged 18–40 years (53.4% female; mean age = 23.6, SD = 4.1) enrolled at three Turkish universities completed the PARDI-AR-Q along with the Nine-Item ARFID Screen (NIAS), the Food Neophobia Scale (FNS), the short form of the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-QS), and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21). A subsample of 138 participants completed the PARDI-AR-Q again after approximately four weeks for test–retest reliability. Internal consistency, test–retest reliability, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, measurement invariance across sex and age groups, convergent and discriminant validity, and criterion-referenced group comparisons based on NIAS cut-off scores were examined. Endorsement of diagnostic/risk-related items was generally low to moderate, with self-perceived eating problem (19.8%), nutritional deficiency identified by a professional (18.8%), and others noting an eating problem (17.9%) being the most frequently endorsed items. Exploratory factor analysis supported a four-factor structure, and confirmatory factor analysis showed excellent fit for the correlated four-factor model (CFI = 0.990, TLI = 0.985, RMSEA = 0.049, SRMR = 0.017). Scalar invariance was supported across sex, age group, ARFID-risk status, and weight status. Internal consistency was excellent for the total score (α = 0.95) and good to excellent for the subscales (α = 0.86–0.92), with excellent four-week test–retest reliability (ICCs = 0.921–0.947). PARDI-AR-Q subscales correlated most strongly with the corresponding NIAS subscales (r = .663–0.760), and participants above the NIAS cut-off had significantly higher PARDI-AR-Q scores, supporting convergent and criterion-referenced validity evidence. The Turkish version of the PARDI-AR-Q demonstrates strong psychometric properties and represents the first validated non-English adaptation of the instrument in adults. The findings support its use as a reliable and valid screening tool for ARFID symptom dimensions in Turkish-speaking adult populations and provide a foundation for future epidemiological and clinical research in this area. Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder, known as ARFID, is an eating disorder in which people avoid or limit what they eat—not because they want to lose weight or change their body shape, but for other reasons. Some people avoid foods because of how they look, smell, or feel in the mouth. Others have very little interest in eating or feel full quickly. Some are afraid that eating will cause bad things to happen, such as choking or vomiting. ARFID can affect a person’s health, nutrition, and daily life, and it is now known that it is not only a childhood problem—adults can have it too. To help identify ARFID, researchers need short, reliable questionnaires that people can fill out themselves. One such questionnaire is the PARDI-AR-Q, originally developed in English. Until now, it had not been tested in Turkish, so we do not know whether it works well for Turkish-speaking adults. In this study, we translated the questionnaire into Turkish and examined whether it measures ARFID symptoms accurately and consistently in an adult sample. We invited 1,343 university students aged between 18 and 40 from three universities in Turkey to complete the Turkish PARDI-AR-Q together with other questionnaires about eating behaviors, fear of new foods, general eating disorder symptoms, and mood. About 140 participants completed the questionnaire a second time, four weeks later, so we could check whether scores stayed stable over time. Our results showed that the Turkish PARDI-AR-Q works well. It measures four distinct but related aspects of ARFID: avoiding foods because of their sensory qualities, lack of interest in eating, fear of the consequences of eating, and the impact of eating problems on daily life. The questionnaire gave consistent results when the same people completed it again four weeks later, and it worked equally well for women and men and for younger and older adults in our sample. People who scored higher on the Turkish PARDI-AR-Q also scored higher on other questionnaires measuring similar problems, which shows that it captures what it is meant to capture. This is the first study to validate the PARDI-AR-Q outside of English-speaking populations. The Turkish version can now be used by clinicians and researchers as a short and practical tool to identify adults who may be experiencing ARFID symptoms and who might benefit from further assessment or support. Because our sample consisted only of university students, future research should test the questionnaire in people with diagnosed eating disorders and in more diverse groups, including adults who are not in higher education.