Brief Description
Compulsive exercise is often a component of eating psychopathology. The compulsive exercise test was developed as a screener to detect compulsive exercise, specifically focusing on the key features of excessive exercise associated with eating disorders: compulsivity, affect regulation, weight and shape driven exercise, and exercise rigidity. The 24-item screener provides a total cut-off score to indicate presence of compulsive exercise. The measure also includes subscales detailing more specific elements of compulsive exercise, including avoidance and rule-driven behavior, weight control exercise, mood improvement, lack of exercise enjoyment, and exercise rigidity.
Assessment Administration Type
Adolescent and adult self-report
Number of questions
24
Age Range for Administration
12+
Recommended Frequency of Administration
Screener
Summary of Scoring and Interpretations
The CET includes 24 items on a 6-point Likert scale from 0 (“Never true”) to 5 (“Always true”). Items 8 and 12 are reverse scored. The CET includes five subscales: avoidance and rule driven behavior, weight control exercise, mood improvement, lack of exercise enjoyment, and exercise rigidity. Subscale scores are calculated by generating the mean score of the items corresponding to the subscale.
Subscale | Corresponding Items |
Avoidance and rule-driven behavior | 9, 10, 11, 15, 16, 20, 22, 23 |
Weight control exercise | 2, 6, 8, 13, 18 |
Mood improvement | 1, 4, 14, 17, 24 |
Lack of exercise enjoyment | 5, 12, 21 |
Exercise rigidity | 3, 7, 19 |
The CET has a total score, which is calculated by summing the mean scores for all subscales. Meyer and colleagues (2016) identified a cut-off score of 15, with scores of 15 or more indicating evidence of compulsive exercise.
Blueprint Adjustments
N/A
Clinical Considerations
The CET is useful as a screener for those with and without diagnosed eating disorders.
Up to 85% of people with eating disorders engage in compulsive exercise (Fietz et al., 2014), and engaging in compulsive exercise is associated with longer hospitalizations and poorer treatment outcomes for those with eating disorders.
This measure has primarily been studied in female-identified samples, and more research is needed to assess its utility for those who identify as males.
Citation
Taranis, L., Touyz, S., & Meyer, C. (2011). Disordered eating and exercise: Development and preliminary validation of the Compulsive Exercise Test (CET). European Eating Disorders Review, 19(3), 256–268. https://doi.org/10.1002/erv.1108
Relevant Articles + Further Resources
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