Evaluation of a new measure of mood intolerance, the Tolerance of Mood States Scale (TOMS): Psychometric properties and associations with eating disorder symptoms

ObjectiveThis research aimed to (i) validate a new measure of mood intolerance, the Tolerance of Mood States (TOMS) scale, and (ii) to examine associations between TOMS scores and eating pathology.MethodsThe original TOMS was developed and evaluated using the data from 258 adult participants. The measure consisted of two separate scales, initially with a total of 64 items, with this reduced to 34 items through exploratory factor analyses. The 34-item TOMS was administered to a new sample of adult participants recruited from a university setting (N = 227), along with the Distress Tolerance Scale (DTS-C; Corstorphine, Mountford, Tomlinson, Waller, & Meyer, 2007) and other measures of psychological distress and eating disorder symptoms. The reliability and validity of the 34-item TOMS scales were examined through confirmatory factor analysis, inspection of alpha coefficients, and inspection of correlations between TOMS scores and those on other relevant measures. Associations between TOMS scores and eating disorder symptoms were considered using continuous and categorical analyses.ResultsAnalyses provided support for the reliability and validity of the scale two of the TOMS. This scale consists of 11 items on two subscales, and assesses the tendency to engage in maladaptive behaviours when confronted with intense moods. Scores on this scale were significantly higher amongst participants who reported binge eating and purging than amongst participants who did not, and they correlated significantly with a global index of eating disorder symptoms. The 11-item scale was retained as the final version of the TOMS.ConclusionsPreliminary support is provided for the validity of a new measure of mood intolerance, the TOMS. Scores on the TOMS subscales were significantly associated with eating disorder symptoms in this non-clinical sample.

► We evaluate the Tolerance of Mood States Scale, a new measure of mood intolerance.
► We examine links between mood intolerance and eating pathology.
► Support is provided for the reliability and validity of the TOMS.
► Scores on the TOMS were significantly associated with eating disorder symptoms.
► New data are provided regarding mood intolerance and eating pathology.