The Weight-Related Abuse Questionnaire (WRAQ): Reliability, validity, and clinical utility

• A measure of weight-related verbal and physical abuse, the WRAQ, was developed.
• Data were examined in undergraduate and pre-bariatric surgery samples.
• Reliability was good across factor analyses, test–retest, and interview comparisons.
• High correlations with measures of teasing, abuse, depression, and eating disorders.
• The WRAQ can identify patients at risk for psychopathology.

Weight-related teasing (WRT)/stigmatization may be distinct from teasing and general abuse and may differentially impact adult outcomes. As WRT increases in severity so do depression and disordered eating. Currently, there are no validated measures designed to assess abuse specific to weight. Thus, we developed the Weight-Related Abuse Questionnaire (WRAQ) and validated it in young adult and clinically obese populations. The WRAQ was administered to 3 samples of participants: 292 undergraduate students, 382 undergraduate students, and 59 individuals seeking bariatric surgery. Concurrent validity was assessed via measures of WRT and general childhood abuse. Convergent validity was assessed with measures of depression and disordered eating. Study 1 data were used to further develop the structure of the WRAQ. Study 2 indicated that the WRAQ had excellent psychometric properties (based on factor analyses and reliability/scale consistency analysis) and strong concurrent and convergent validity, supporting the validity of the questionnaire. 6-month test-retest reliability was also good. In Study 3 responses on the WRAQ converged well with interview responses, showed good psychometric properties, and showed moderate correlations with measures of childhood abuse and psychopathology. The WRAQ has strong psychometric properties and is strongly associated with measures of current psychopathology. Additionally, it fills a gap in the assessment literature and may be a beneficial tool for determining which individuals are at increased risk for psychopathology.