Validation and invariance across gender of the beliefs about appearance scale (BAAS) in a community sample of heterosexual adults in a committed relationship

Objective: To evaluate the psychometric properties of the Beliefs About Appearance Scale (BAAS) in terms of its factorial structure and invariance, reliability, and validity when applied to adults from the community. Methods: Participants consisted of 810 heterosexual Portuguese individuals in a committed relationship. As a confirmatory factor analysis did not support the original structure of the BAAS, an exploratory factor analysis was performed. Results: A 12-item version was extracted comprising two dimensions: one personal and the other social. The factorial model depicting this bidimensional structure revealed an adequate fit following confirmatory factor analysis. Multigroup confirmatory factor analyses indicated invariance across gender. Concurrent and discriminant validities and internal consistency were estimated and observed to be adequate. Conclusions: This shorter measure of the BAAS can accurately assess body appearance beliefs and may be used in different research settings and contexts.