Modification of an existing measure of body image preoccupation and its relationship to disordered eating in female college students.

Abstract

Body image disturbance is both positively associated with the development of eating disorders and negatively associated with recovery. However, the aspects of body image most relevant to eating disorders have not been clearly established. Body image preoccupation may be particularly relevant to disordered eating. Yet, its measurement has proven problematic. In Study 1, a modification of the Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ), a measure of body image preoccupation (P. J. Cooper, M. J. Taylor, Z. Cooper, & C. G. Fairburn, 1987), was developed in a sample of female undergraduates. The BSQ-R-10 yielded reliable and valid scores, and was more strongly related to disordered eating than measures of body image attitudes. In Study 2, the BSQ-R-10 was cross-validated in another sample of female undergraduates, and its psychometric properties further supported.