Development of a body image avoidance questionnaire.

Abstract

The purpose was to design a self-report measure of behavioral tendencies that frequently accompany body-image disturbance. The result was a 19-item questionnaire that dealt with avoidance of situations that provoke concern about physical appearance, such as avoidance of tight-fitting clothes, social outings, and physical intimacy. The Body Image Avoidance Questionnaire had adequate internal consistency and test-retest reliability. The measure correlated highly with negative attitudes about weight and shape and with perceptual distortion of size. It distinguished women with bulimia nervosa from controls, it was sensitive to change following treatment for severe bodyimage disturbance, and it agreed with external raters. Norms for the measure and the factor structure were also provided. Although body-image disturbance is traditionally viewed as perceptual distortion of body size and negative attitudes about weight and shape, it is recommended that a multidimensional assessment also include attention to behavioral tendencies.