Abstract
BackgroundThis study evaluated the score reliability and equivalence of factor structure of the Sociocultural Attitudes towards Appearance Questionnaire-3 (SATAQ-3) [1] in a sample of female college students from the four largest ethnic groups in the USA.MethodsParticipants were 1245 women who self-identified as European American/White (n = 543), African American/Black (n = 137), Asian American (n = 317), or Latina/Hispanic (n = 248). All completed the SATAQ-3 and a demographic questionnaire. To test the factor similarity and score reliability across groups, we used exploratory factor analysis and calculated Cronbach’s alphas (respectively).ResultsScore reliability was high for all groups. Tests of factor equivalence suggested that the four pre-established factors of the SATAQ-3 (i.e., knowledge, perceived pressure, thin-ideal internalization, athletic-ideal internalization) were similar for women of all ethnic groups. Only two items (20 and 27) did not consistently load on the previously identified scale across all four groups. When scored, African Americans reported significantly less perceived pressure and internalization than all other groups.ConclusionsResults support the use of the SATAQ-3 in female college students of these four ethnicities.
Highlights
This study evaluated the score reliability and equivalence of factor structure of the Sociocultural Attitudes towards Appearance Questionnaire-3 (SATAQ-3) [1] in a sample of female college students from the four largest ethnic groups in the USA
Current study Given the importance of studying the influence of Western cultural ideals promoted by the media on eating pathology in different cultural and ethnic samples, this study evaluated the score reliability and equivalence of factor structure of the SATAQ-3 in a sample of European American/White, African American/Black, Asian American, and Hispanic/Latina female college students in the USA
There were statistically significant ethnic differences on all of the SATAQ-3 subscales when examined according to the original scoring by Thompson and colleagues [1]: INFO, F (3, 1241) = 4.54, p < .01; PRESS, F (3, 1241) = 11.44, p < .01; INT-GEN, F (3, 1241) = 21.04, p < .01; INT-ATH, F (3, 1241) = 17.52, p
Summary
This study evaluated the score reliability and equivalence of factor structure of the Sociocultural Attitudes towards Appearance Questionnaire-3 (SATAQ-3) [1] in a sample of female college students from the four largest ethnic groups in the USA. Advertisements, television shows, music videos, and magazines, the ideal woman in Western cultures (e.g., in mainstream USA, Australia, Western Europe) is depicted as thin, young, tall, and fit with long hair, a thin waist and fair skin [3,4]. In addition to idealizing and valuing a specific physique, mainstream Western culture and media promote the message that attaining the ideal appearance assures social status, happiness, success, and personal worth for women [6,7,8]. Stokes and Frederick-Recascino [8] found significant positive correlations between happiness and perceptions of sexual desirability, weight satisfaction, and physical fitness among adult women. Cultural values and ideals of appearance promoted by mainstream Western media emphasize that attaining a thin, fit body is fundamental to women’s social value and moral character
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