Italian adolescents' body image and sociocultural influences: An investigation using the Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire-4-Revised

Abstract

Body dissatisfaction and eating disorders (EDs) are highly prevalent among adolescents, imposing a significant burden on this group. Therefore, a deeper investigation into the risk factors of these issues is urgently needed. In this regard, adopting a sociocultural framework can offer valuable insights; however, research on the assessment of appearance-related sociocultural pressures among adolescents remains limited. This study aimed to validate the Sociocultural Attitude Towards Appearance Questionnaire-4-Revised (SATAQ-4R) among Italian adolescents aged 13–17 years. A total of 692 girls (M_age = 15.5 years ± 1.16) and 450 boys (M_age = 15.2 years ± 1.21) completed the Female and Male versions of the SATAQ-4R along with other self-report tools assessing ED symptoms, body dissatisfaction, self-esteem, peer and family appearance pressure, drive for muscularity, and frequency of Instagram appearance comparisons. To investigate the SATAQ-4R factor structure, several models were tested. Measurement invariance across early and middle adolescent groups, reliability, and validity were addressed. The original 7-factor model yielded the best fit to the data for both boys and girls. This model was also invariant across age groups. Both the SATAQ-4R-Male and Female exhibited excellent psychometric properties in terms of construct and criterion validity, as well as internal consistency (McDonald’s omega values ranging from .79 to .93 for the SARAQ-4R-Male and from .82 to .93 for the SATAQ-4R-Female). Therefore, the SATAQ-4R can be considered a valid and reliable tool for measuring societal influences on body image among Italian adolescents. Research and practical implications are discussed.