Psychometric Properties of Different Versions of the Body Shape Questionnaire in Female Aesthetic Patients

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine and compare the psychometric properties (internal consistency and factorial validity) of different versions of the Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ) in a sample of female aesthetic patients. The sample included 296 women attending aesthetic clinics, with ages ranging between 18 and 70 years (M = 32.23, SD = 11.35) and body mass index between 17.10 and 45.00 kg/m2 (M = 24.70, SD = 4.07). Nine different length versions of the BSQ (BSQ-34, BSQ-32, BSQ-16A, BSQ-16B, BSQ-14, BSQ-8A, BSQ-8B, BSQ-8C and BSQ-8D) were subjected to confirmatory factor analyses, using a robust maximum likelihood estimator. Robust fit indices indicated that the BSQ-8D version was the better-fitting and more parsimonious model (S-Bχ2/df = 1.81, CFI = 0.963, RMSEA = 0.052, SRMR = 0.043). This short version also showed appropriate reliability (McDonald’s omega and composite reliability = 0.87) and a very high correlation with the original BSQ-34 version (r = 0.95). In sum, these findings suggest that the BSQ-8D is the most valid, reliable and suitable BSQ version for measuring body shape concerns in female aesthetic patients.

Beyond Gender: Interoceptive Sensibility as a Key Predictor of Body Image Disturbances

“…This was measured by the body shape questionnaire (BSQ) [83] The BSQ version used in the study involves 30 questions (four questions were omitted as they were about weight control/eating disorder behaviours and were not necessary for our study). Although it is typically used to investigate shape concerns in female populations [84,85], the male version of the scale has been validated to detect shape concerns occurring in men [86,87]. In this study, men received the male version of the BSQ, and women received the female version.…”