Sociocultural attitudes towards appearance questionnaire-4-revised (SATAQ-4R): validation in a community sample of Norwegian adolescents

BackgroundNegative body image and disordered eating are common among adolescents and young adults. The Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire-4-Revised (SATAQ-4R) captures the internalization of societal appearance ideals and perceived pressures from others but has not been validated in a Norwegian adolescent population.MethodsThe current study explored the factor structure of SATAQ-4R in a sample of adolescent Norwegian males and females (n = 1558, mean age 17.04 +/- 0.95) using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) for a 6- and 7-factor structure in females, and a 7-factor structure in males. Correlations between subscales, internal consistency and reliability, and comparisons with convergent measures (disordered eating, body mass index, negative influence of social media) were explored.ResultsThe CFA supported a 7-factor structure of the SATAQ-4R for both males and females. Internal consistency and reliability were acceptable. SATAQ-4R subscales largely correlated with disordered eating and additional convergent measures.ConclusionsResults confirm the structure and reliability of the SATAQ-4R in a Norwegian adolescent population. The subscales showed good convergent validity, and high scores on internalization and societal pressures were related to higher levels of disordered eating and negative social media influence. The Norwegian version of the SATAQ-4R thus demonstrates good psychometric properties in adolescent males and females, and is well suited to capture internalization and sociocultural pressures that particularly affect adolescents. Results highlight the need to continue working towards reducing adverse internalization and improving body image among adolescents. Appearance pressures and internalization of appearance ideals are empirically supported risk factors for body dissatisfaction and disordered eating. Having validated tools to measure these risk factors is essential, particularly for young people, as adolescence itself presents an increased risk for the development of eating disorders. The SATAQ-4R is a self-report questionnaire designed to measure the internalization of western beauty standards, and pressure to conform to these. Although the measure has been used in Norwegian research, it hasn't been validated yet. This study aimed to test how well the SATAQ-4R works with Norwegian teenagers. The results showed that it effectively captures the internalization of societal expectations and pressures that particularly affect adolescents.