Abstract
BackgroundThe present study considers a measure of positive body image, the Body Appreciation Scale-2, which assesses acceptance and/or favourable opinions towards the body (BAS-2). Potential variations of the psychometric properties of the scale across males and females, as well as across its different items invite for further investigation. The present study contributes to this area of knowledge via the employment of gender Measurement Invariance (MI) and Item Response Theory (IRT) analyses.MethodsA group of 386 adults from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America (USA) were assessed online (N = 394, 54.8% men, 43.1% women, Mage = 27.48; SD = 5.57).ResultsMI analyses observed invariance across males and females at the configural level, and non-invariance at the metric level. Further, the graded response model employed to observe IRT properties indicated that all items demonstrated, although variable, strong discrimination capacity.ConclusionsThe items showed increased reliability for latent levels of ∓ 2 SD from the mean level of Body Appreciation (BA). Gender comparisons based on BAS-2 should be cautiously interpreted for selected items, due to demonstrating different metric scales and same scores indicating different severity. The BAS-2 may also not perform well for clinically low and high BA levels. Thus, it should optimally be accompanied by clinical interviews for formal assessment in such cases.
Highlights
Body image is a multidimensional construct that represents one’s cognitions, behaviours, perceptions, and affective responses towards their body [10]
The present study Prompted by the revised literature, the present study aims to contribute to the available knowledge related to the psychometric properties of the body appreciation scale (BAS)-2 in two significant ways: (a) it aims to expand gender Measurement Invariance (MI) findings via the use of a multi-national sample and the employment of more stringent research methods; and (b) it will be the first to examine the differential item functioning of the BAS-2 items for participants with different levels of Body Appreciation (BA)
Measurement invariance First, the BAS unidimensional factorial structure was assessed across gender groups
Summary
Body image is a multidimensional construct that represents one’s cognitions, behaviours, perceptions, and affective responses towards their body [10]. Zarate et al BMC Psychol (2021) 9:114 psychological well-being These findings underpinned the introduction of an upgraded tool––the Body Appreciation Scale 2 (BAS-2, [41]) to eliminate sex-specific and body dissatisfaction-based language. This 10-item scale was originally devised to measure BA exclusively among women and was later modified to include men [41]. One could assume that the scale may operate differently between male and female respondents This would mean that any BAS-based comparisons between the two genders could be confounded by the psychometric properties of the scale. The present study contributes to this area of knowledge via the employment of gender Measurement Invariance (MI) and Item Response Theory (IRT) analyses
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