A Brief Assessment of Body Image Perception: Norm Values and Factorial Structure of the Short Version of the FKB-20.

Ileana Schmalbach,Bjarne Schmalbach,Elmar Brähler,Hendrik Berth,Cornelia Albani,Markus Zenger,Katja Petrowski

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.579783

Abstract

The Body Image Questionnaire-20 (FKB-20) is one of the most applied self-report measures in the context of body image assessment in German-speaking regions. A version of the FKB-20 capturing an ideal concept of body image is also available. A special property of the scale is its high sensitivity for individuals suffering from anorexia nervosa. The present research provided a short version of this scale (for both variants) and examined its validity in a representative sample (N = 2,347) of the German population. We utilized factor analysis methods to identify the optimal short scale of the measure, finding excellent model fit and reliability for a two-factor model (FKB-6) for both real and ideal body image. Both versions of the FKB-6 can be considered invariant across sex and age groups. Good reliability indices were shown for both versions of the FKB-6. The reliability indices were similar to those mentioned in previous studies. Our study also revealed, that large discrepancies between the real and an ideal body image are correlated with somatic and body dysmorphic symptoms. Finally, we provided norm values for comparisons of individual scores with the general population. The FKB-6 is a valid and a reliable measure that economizes assessments by clinicians and researchers.

Highlights

The diagnosis of body image perturbances in eating, and in other psychiatric disorders or illnesses involving physical changes and disturbances associated with body dissatisfaction is part of the everyday clinical practice (Albani et al, 2006a; Peterson et al, 2017; Steinfeld et al, 2017; Body Image Questionnaire-6Groot, 2020)
In the present study we focus on the severity index for somatization (SSI), which is computed by summing up the item scores
Corrected item-total correlations exceeded 0.500 for all items except Items 5, 13, and 19. We supplemented these analyses by applying an analysis based on item response theory and investigated item discrimination parameters using a graded response model in the mirt package (Chalmers, 2012): Similar to the results from the EFA, Items 5, 13, and 19 evinced the lowest discrimination for the Rejecting Body Image scale

Summary

Introduction

The diagnosis of body image perturbances in eating (e.g., anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa), and in other psychiatric disorders or illnesses involving physical changes and disturbances associated with body dissatisfaction (e.g., sexual dysfunction, conversion disorders, transsexualisms, cancer) is part of the everyday clinical practice (Albani et al, 2006a; Peterson et al, 2017; Steinfeld et al, 2017; Body Image Questionnaire-6Groot, 2020). Body image is understood as a multifaceted construct comprising a perceptual and an attitudinal component. The former indicates the accuracy of an individuals’ judgment of size, shape and form relative to their actual body proportions, while the latter reflects the affective dimension of the construct (Cash and Smolak, 2011; Thompson and Schaefer, 2019). There are other factors that directly affect body image, such as gender, cultural and social norms, childhood experiences, as well as biological factors—among others (Daig et al, 2006; Nichols et al, 2018; Saiphoo and Vahedi, 2019). An individual’s judgment on the perception of their body is strongly influenced by cognitive and affective variables, as well biological factors and social norms

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