Psychometric properties and validation of the Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire-4 (SATAQ-4) with a sample of Japanese adolescent girls

• Published in: Body image 2016-12, Vol.19, p.89-97
• Main Authors: Yamamiya, Y., Shimai, S., Schaefer, L.M., Thompson, J.K., Shroff, H., Sharma, R., Ordaz, D.L.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Attitude; Body Image - psychology; Convergent validity; Exploratory factor analysis; Female; Humans; Japan - ethnology; Japanese adolescent girl; Psychometrics - instrumentation; Reliability; Reproducibility of Results; Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire-4 (SATAQ-4); Surveys and Questionnaires - standards
• ISSN: 1740-1445; 1873-6807
• DOI: 10.1016/j.bodyim.2016.08.006

•SATAQ-4 assesses appearance-related internalization and sociocultural pressures.•The psychometric properties of SATAQ-4 are examined among Japanese young girls.•The original five-factor structure of SATAQ-4 is largely supported.•SATAQ-4 subscales exhibit good reliability and convergent validity. The Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire-4 (SATAQ-4) is a 22-item five-factor measure that assesses thin- and muscular-ideal internalization as well as appearance-related pressures from peers, family, and media. The scale has been validated in Western cultures, but has not yet been examined in Eastern samples. Two studies were conducted to examine the psychometric properties of the SATAQ-4 among 946 Japanese adolescent girls. In Study 1, exploratory factor analysis of the SATAQ-4 indicated that the five-factor structure was largely replicated with the exception of two cross-loading items. In Study 2, confirmatory factor analysis indicated good fit for the full 22-item and reduced 20-item versions of the measure. SATAQ-4 subscales exhibited good internal consistency and were correlated in the expected direction with experiences of appearance teasing, strategies to lose and/or gain weight, and drive for muscularity. Overall, results support the reliability and validity of the SATAQ-4 among Japanese adolescent girls.