Psychometric properties of measures of sociocultural influence and internalization of appearance ideals across eight countries

The aim of the current study was to examine the psychometric properties of two well-established measures of sociocultural influence and internalization of the thin/low body fat ideal and muscular ideal. Data from 6272 emerging adults (68.9 % female), aged 18–30 years from Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, Italy, Japan, Spain, and the U.S. were included in this study. Participants completed measures of pressure from mother, fathers, peers, and media, to both increase muscles and lose weight, as well as internalization of the thin/low body fat ideal and muscular ideal. Overall, support for partial invariance was found across the scales. In addition, group level differences were found between countries as well as along demographic factors including gender, age, body mass index, and socioeconomic status. These findings make an important contribution by identifying these scales as useful tools that will support future cross-country and cross-cultural examinations of explanatory models of the development of body image and eating concerns grounded within sociocultural theories.