A Screening Tool for Exercise Addiction: The Psychometric Properties of the Italian Exercise Addiction Inventory

Exercise addiction is characterized by morbid pattern of behavior which may have negative psychological consequences, seriously compromising the lives of those affected. The Exercise Addiction Inventory (EAI) is one of the most used psychometric instruments for assessing the risk of exercise addiction and has been translated into a number of languages. However, it has never been psychometrically validated in Italian. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to test the psychometric properties of the EAI among Italian-speaking exercisers. The back-translation process was utilized to develop an Italian version of the EAI. A cross-sectional online survey was used to recruit a sample of 331 Italian regular exercisers (Mage = 30.64 years, SD = 12.10). The participants completed the Italian EAI, alongside a battery of other self-report psychometric scales used to assess some aspects of the concurrent validity of the EAI. The one-factor structure of the EAI was confirmed, which also showed good internal consistency and a satisfactory construct validity in the Italian version. No gender differences were found for the risk of exercise addiction. The data obtained in this study provide some evidence suggesting that Italian Exercise Addiction Inventory (EAI) is a valid and reliable self-report scale that can be used to assess the risk of exercise addiction among Italian-speaking individuals. The scale showed some psychometrically robust features, and is a quick and easy-to-use scale that can be used in different cultures and countries, including Italy.