Measurement invariance of body image measures by age, gender, sexual orientation, race, weight status, and age: The U.S. Body Project I

Measurement invariance of two measures of positive body image among Hispanic/Latina undergraduate women

Although positive body image is associated with mental and physical health benefits, there is a relative dearth of research investigating the psychometric properties of commonly used measures of positive body image among Hispanic/Latina women in the United States. The current study explored the psychometric properties of the Body Appreciation Scale-2 (BAS-2; Tylka & Wood-Barcalow, 2015a) and the Functionality Appreciation Scale (FAS; Alleva et al., 2017) in undergraduate women. Altogether 565 undergraduates (n = 386 Hispanic/Latina; n = 179 non-Hispanic White [NHW]) completed the BAS-2, FAS, and demographic questionnaires. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and measurement invariance testing across ethnicity was conducted on each measure. The CFA confirmed the 1-factor, 10-item model of the BAS-2 among Hispanic/Latina women but indicated a less than adequate model fit for the FAS which improved after correlating the residuals of items 6 and 7. Measurement invariance testing revealed evidence of partial scalar invariance of the BAS-2 and full invariance of the FAS across ethnicity. There were no significant mean differences between groups on the measures. These analyses indicate acceptable psychometric properties of the BAS-2 and FAS among Hispanic/Latina women. Nonetheless, they did suggest potentially meaningful group differences in how these items behaved, which warrant further exploration.

Body Uneasiness, Body Figure Perception, and Body Weight: Factor Structure and Longitudinal Measurement Invariance of a Set of Attitudinal and Perceptual Body Image Assessment Tools in Adolescents

Body image is a multifaceted construct that includes attitudinal and perceptual components, but its attention has mainly been focused on the facet of body dissatisfaction. The present longitudinal study extended the validation of a multifacet attitudinal questionnaire, the Body Uneasiness Test (BUT), against perceptions of body shape and weight. A convenient sample of adolescents took part in a 2-year unbalanced panel study (5 waves). The participants completed the BUT questionnaire and selected their perceived actual, ideal, and reflected body figures along the Contour Drawing Rating Scale; ideal/actual and ideal/normative body mass index discrepancies were also included. After replicating the expected five-factor structure of the BUT items, results from confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the five BUT scales loaded on an attitudinal dimension, whereas the perceived body figures and the discrepancy indices were on a perceptive domain. Such a two-domain structure of body image measures showed gender and seasonal (1-year) measurement invariance, whereas longitudinal 6-month and 18-month invariance partially failed. Overall, the present findings support the validity of the Body Uneasiness Test in adolescence, further demonstrating a preliminary multidimensional structure of body image onto which attitudinal and perceptual body image-related measures were projected.

Cross-cultural measurement invariance of a developmental assessment tool in a small-scale intervention study

Development tests are widely used in the scope of cross-cultural and comparative research to support intervention studies and health care projects concerning early childhood development. Therefore, it is crucial to use culturally sensitive assessment tools. A culturally adapted version of the German development test FREDI 0-3 (Maehler, Cartschau, & Rohleder, 2016) was used to assess a German (n = 405) and an Indian (n = 2075) sample of children between ten and thirty-two months. Measurement invariance indicates psychometric equivalence of a construct across groups and is a prerequisite for test applications in a cross-cultural setting. Confirmatory factor analyses for single cohorts per age group and multi-group measurement invariance analyses were used to examine the data equivalence of the test across groups. Weak measurement invariance could be established across both groups in all four age groups (10-14; 15-21; 22-26; 27-32 months) suggesting that the development factor was measured in the same way in both groups and accounted similarly for performance differences in the developmental subdomains for the German and the Indian sample. However, scalar and strict measurement invariance were violated in almost all group comparisons suggesting differences in scale difficulty and reliability across the German and the Indian sample. This suggests that a culture-sensitive adaptation process like it was carried out within this project is necessary but not sufficient in order to create a culturally comparable development test. It is essential to always carry out measurement invariance testing to determine the psychometric equivalence of the test and additionally reduce linguistic and cultural bias through an adaption process based on empirical proven methodological principles.

Measurement invariance of the Broad Conceptualization of Beauty Scale (BCBS) across Black, Hispanic, and White women in the United States

The Broad Conceptualization of Beauty Scale (BCBS) assesses the degree to which women perceive diverse appearances and internal qualities as being beautiful. Although the instrument is increasingly used in diverse national and linguistic contexts, no previous study has examined measurement invariance of the BCBS across racial groups. To rectify this, we asked 395 Black, 406 Hispanic, and 423 White women from the United States to complete the BCBS. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that a unidimensional model of BCBS scores had poor fit to the data in the total sample, but freely estimating error covariances between six pairs of items resulted in adequate fit. Additionally, full configural and scalar invariance was supported, but metric invariance was not, with further testing indicating that the item loading for one item differed across groups. Comparison of latent means indicated that all between-groups comparisons in BCBS scores were non-significant. However, medium-sized group differences in BCBS scores emerged once group differences in key demographics were controlled for. Overall, these results suggest that the BCBS largely achieves measurement invariance across Black, Hispanic, and White women in the United States, suggestive of similarity in how the construct of broad conceptualisation of beauty is understood and experienced.

Measurement Invariance across Sexual Orientation for Measures of Sexual Attitudes

Despite the growing interest in the study of sexual attitudes across sexual orientation, few studies have tested whether the instruments used to measure them are invariant. This study examined measurement invariance (configural, weak, strong, and strict) across sexual orientation in three different sexual attitude scales: the Sexual Opinion Survey (SOS) to assess erotophilia, the Hurlbert Index of Sexual Fantasy (HISF) to assess attitudes toward sexual fantasies, and the Negative Attitudes Toward Masturbation Inventory (NATMI) to assess negative attitudes toward masturbation. A total of 2293 Spanish adult men and women with different sexual orientations (i.e., heterosexual, bisexual, and gay) participated in the study. The results indicated strict invariance for HISF across sexual orientation and only weak invariance for SOS and NATMI. Differential item functioning was also found in two items of the NATMI scale. Evidence of validity was provided for the three scales that were studied.

Pathways from sociocultural and objectification constructs to body satisfaction among men: The U.S. Body Project I

According to the tripartite influence model, body dissatisfaction is shaped by internalizing cultural appearance ideals stemming from appearance-related family, peer, and media pressures. This model was developed for women, but emerging evidence points to its relevance for men's body image. This study advanced this budding research by (a) integrating muscular-ideal internalization alongside lean-ideal internalization and body surveillance into the model, (b) examining two positive dimensions of body image as outcomes (body image quality of life and appearance evaluation), and (c) testing this model in national online sample of 5293 men. Structural equation modeling supported the model. Family, peer, and media pressures related to higher lean-ideal internalization, which related to higher body surveillance and poorer body image outcomes. Peer and media pressures related to higher muscular-ideal internalization, which related to higher body surveillance but more adaptive body image outcomes. We further examined whether model variables and paths differed based on men's body mass index (BMI). Men with higher BMIs evidenced a stronger path between body surveillance and body image outcomes. These findings highlight the usefulness of sociocultural models for understanding men's body image experiences.

Demographic and sociocultural predictors of sexuality-related body image and sexual frequency: The U.S. Body Project I

Body image is a critical component of an individual's sexual experiences. This makes it critical to identify demographic and sociocultural correlates of sexuality-related body image: the subjective feelings, cognitions, and evaluations related to one's body in the context of sexual experience. We examined how sexuality-related body image differed by gender, sexual orientation, race, age, and BMI. Four items assessing sexuality-related body image were completed by 11,620 U.S. adults: self-perceived sex appeal of their body, nude appearance satisfaction, and the extent to which they believed that body image positively or negatively affected their sexual enjoyment and feelings of sexual acceptability as a partner. Men reported slightly less nude appearance dissatisfaction and fewer negative effects of body image on sexual enjoyment and sexual acceptability than women, but did not differ in reported sex appeal. Poorer sexuality-related body image was reported by people with higher BMIs, not in relationships, who had sex less frequently, among White compared to Black women and men, and among gay compared to heterosexual men. Data also revealed a subgroup of respondents who reported that their body image had a positive impact on their sex lives. The findings highlight a need for interventions addressing sexuality-related body image.

Demographic and sociocultural predictors of face image satisfaction: The U.S. Body Project I

Despite substantial literature surrounding how people process and perceive faces, there is very little research investigating how people evaluate their own faces. We examined how gender, body mass, race, age, and sexual orientation were linked to people's satisfaction with the appearance of their eyes, nose, facial shape, and face overall among 11,620 adults recruited via Mechanical Turk. Most people mostly or definitely agreed they were happy with their facial appearance. There were notable racial differences, with Asian participants tending to report greater dissatisfaction. For example, only 66% of Asian women and 60% of Asian men mostly or definitely agreed that they were happy with the appearance of their eyes, which was lower than other racial groups. BMI and age were not strongly associated with face satisfaction. Sexual minority men were less satisfied than heterosexual men. About one in four gay and bisexual men, compared to only one in seven heterosexual men, reported dissatisfaction with their overall facial appearance. Men and women with poorer face image engaged in more appearance surveillance, more strongly internalized the thin-ideal, and perceived stronger sociocultural pressures from peers, parents, and media. The current study highlights important sociocultural and demographic factors tied to poorer face image.

Demographic predictors of body image satisfaction: The U.S. Body Project I

We examined how gender, body mass, race, age, and sexual orientation were linked to appearance evaluation, overweight preoccupation, and body image-related quality of life among 11,620 adults recruited via Mechanical Turk. Men were less likely than women to report low appearance evaluation, high overweight preoccupation, negative effects of body image on their quality of life, being on a weight-loss diet, and trying to lose weight with crash diets/fasting. Racial differences were generally small, but greater appearance evaluation was reported by Black men versus other groups and Black women versus White women. Across all measures, gay and bisexual men reported poorer body image than heterosexual men, with only small effect sizes observed for sexual orientation differences among women. Body mass, but not age, was strongly associated with body image. The prevalence of poor body image highlights the need for interventions. On the positive side, half of men and women reported high appearance evaluation. Examination of this group could identify factors promoting positive body image.

Examining the utility of nonlinear machine learning approaches versus linear regression for predicting body image outcomes: The U.S. Body Project I

Most body image studies assess only linear relations between predictors and outcome variables, relying on techniques such as multiple Linear Regression. These predictor variables are often validated multi-item measures that aggregate individual items into a single scale. The advent of machine learning has made it possible to apply Nonlinear Regression algorithms-such as Random Forest and Deep Neural Networks-to identify potentially complex linear and nonlinear connections between a multitude of predictors (e.g., all individual items from a scale) and outcome (output) variables. Using a national dataset, we tested the extent to which these techniques allowed us to explain a greater share of the variance in body-image outcomes (adjusted R²) than possible with Linear Regression. We examined how well the connections between body dissatisfaction and dieting behavior could be predicted from demographic factors and measures derived from objectification theory and the tripartite-influence model. In this particular case, although Random Forest analyses sometimes provided greater predictive power than Linear Regression models, the advantages were small. More generally, however, this paper demonstrates how body image researchers might harness the power of machine learning techniques to identify previously undiscovered relations among body image variables.

An abbreviated 10-item, two-factor version of the Body Image Quality of Life Inventory (BIQLI-10): The U.S. Body Project I

The objective of this study was to re-examine the factor structure of the Body Image Quality of Life Inventory (BIQLI), a measure that quantifies perceived effects of one's body image on various aspects of psychosocial functioning. Data on the 19-item BIQLI from a community sample of 11,620 U.S. men and women were split into cross-validation samples and underwent exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. An abbreviated 10-item, two-factor version of the BIQLI (BIQLI-10) was identified. The BIQLI-10 measures Social Relations & Psychological Well-Being with one subscale and Appearance & Body Management Activities with the other. Internal consistency was high for each subscale. The BIQLI-10 largely retained the convergent validity of the original 19-item BIQLI, as evidenced by nearly identical correlations with appearance evaluation, overweight preoccupation, body surveillance, appearance pressures, and appearance ideal internalization. Results also supported strong measurement invariance for the BIQLI-10 by age group, gender, sexual orientation, racial group, and weight status. Findings from this study suggest researchers may use this abbreviated version to increase nuance in the measurement of body image quality of life and reduce participant burden without compromising the psychometric integrity of the BIQLI. Further, results support the comparison of BIQLI-10 subscale scores across diverse groups.

Demographic predictors of objectification theory and tripartite influence model constructs: The U.S. Body Project I

We examined how demographic factors (gender, sexual orientation, racial group, age, body mass) were linked to measures of sociocultural appearance concerns derived from objectification theory and the tripartite influence model (McKinley & Hyde, 1996; Schaefer et al., 2015) among 11,620 adults. Men were less likely than women to report high body surveillance, thin-ideal internalization, appearance-related media pressures, and family pressures; did not differ in peer pressures; and reported greater muscle/athletic internalization. Both men and women expressed greater desire for their bodies to look "very lean" than to look "very thin". Compared to gay men, heterosexual men reported lower body surveillance, thin-ideal internalization, peer pressures, and media pressures. Black women reported lower thin-ideal internalization than White, Hispanic, and Asian women, whereas Asian women reported greater family pressures. Being younger and having higher BMIs were associated with greater sociocultural appearance concerns across most measures. The variation in prevalence of sociocultural appearance concerns across these demographic groups highlights the need for interventions.