Psychometric properties and factorial invariance of bias scale trait version in engineering and health sciences university students

Abstract

Beauty and thinness standards of come from a cultural idea that even today is considered esthetic; being physically perfect has become one of the main objectives in developed societies, a goal imposed by new models of life, in which the aspect of body image is associated with wellbeing and seems to be the only valid synonym of success and happiness. However, negative body image has serious consequences for health behaviors and is associated with low self-esteem, depression, social anxiety and contributes to the development and maintenance of body dysmorphic disorder and eating disorders. In this context, the present instrumental study aimed to analyze the psychometric properties of BIAS (Body Image Anxiety Scale) testing, trait version, in engineering and health sciences students, evaluating in the students anxiety about body parts that correspond, on the one hand with physical beauty, for example: lips, forehead, chin; and on the other hand, those related to body weight, such as: abdomen, thighs, hips, among others. The total sample consisted of 1081 participants; 568 engineering students (142 women and 426 man) and 513 health sciences students (201 women and 311 man), with a mean age of 18.16 years (SD = 0.73) and 18.21 years (SD = 0.72) respectively, the sample was obtained through convenience sampling. The instrument was applied through a computerized application using the instrument administrator module of scales editor, version 2.0 in a session of approximately 25 minutes in the computer labs corresponding to each participating academic unit. The confirmatory factorial analysis showed that a bi-factorial structure is feasible and convenient for both populations (engineering and health sciences) according to the established psychometric requirements when the informants were the same students. Furthermore, the factorial structure, factorial loads and the intercepts are considered invariant in the engineering and health sciences areas; however, there are differences in the mean of both factors among the two populations.