Arabic validation of the Body-Esteem Scale for Adolescents and Adults.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to validate the questionnaire "Body-Esteem Scale for Adolescents and Adults" (BESAA).

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study involving 340 adolescents who attend a Tunisian high school. We translated the BESAA into dialectal Tunisian Arabic based on the translation back-translation method. The validity of the scale was evaluated through content validity, reliability and construct validity. We used the Arabic version of the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale as an external validator. The cut-off of the scale was calculated using the ROC curve.

Results: The translated version was considered satisfactory. The exploratory analysis related three factors similar to the original version of the questionnaire. We dropped eight items (1, 4, 6, 14, 15, 18, 19 and 23) and obtained a 15-item version. A principal component analysis was carried out of the new version and produced a three-component solution that accounted for 64.56% of the total BESAA variance. In confirmatory analysis, the scale demonstrated good model fit statistics as follows: Comparative Fit Index=0.92; Goodness of Fit Index=0.89; Adjusted Goodness of Fit Index=0.85; Root Mean Square Error of Approximation=0.13 and Standardized Root Mean Square Residual=0.09. The internal consistency showed a good result with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.753. The correlation between items and subscales demonstrated statistically significant and logical results. Statistically significant correlations were found between the BESAA and its external validator the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (r=0.382; P<0.01). The cut-off of our scale was equal to 24.5.

Conclusions: The Tunisian 15-item version of the BESAA is a psychometrically valid measure. This scale can be reliably used to conduct further studies and research on body esteem in the Tunisian population.