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Body Image is defined as a person's self feeling and perception about his/her own body that involves his/her physical look, facial appearance, maturity and other bodily features like height and weight. This study specifically focuses on the development and validation of body image scale which explored the body image concerns in young adult females. In the present study, Body Image Scale was developed. The items were empirically generated. Factorial validity of the scale was determined on 300 participants. Factor analysis resulted in three factors i.e. physical component: α = .909, psychological component: α = .909, Strategies to maintain one's body image: α = .830. Results indicated that the 35-item Body Image Scale yielded a significant Cronbach Alpha (α = .951). Convergent validity was estimated by correlating the scores of Body Shape Questionnaire-34 with Body Image Scale (n = 100). The correlation score was significant and added to the validity of Body Image Scale. Discriminant validity was assessed by correlating the scores of Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale with Body Image Scale (n = 100). The results showed significant inverse relationship between both measures, and ensured the discriminant validity of Body Image Scale (r = -.19). Psychometric properties of the scale revealed that Body Image Scale is a reliable measure for assessing body image concerns in indigenous context.
Key words: body image, reliability, validity, young adult females
The National Eating Disorder Association (2005) defines body image as how you observe or identify yourself when you come across in the mirror or what you imagine or experience about your own physical appearances, including your weight, height, body shape, assumptions, generalizations, and memories. It's all about the mental picture you make in your mind about your appearances. Byerly, Archibald, Gräber, and Brooks-Gunn (2000) have focused on different factors associated to women's perception for body image. It was assumed that body image dissatisfaction could be affected by number of factors such as, our parents, friends, and role models who convey us consciously, or unconsciously the message of what it is like to be valued and loved by others through our body or physical appearance.
Schilder (1958) has defined body image as the three-dimensional mental representation that each person has of oneself (Schilder, 1958).This impression frequently assembles and resolves a...