Few studies have validated body image related measures in Asian countries, including in India, thus stunting research progress. To provide a robust method of assessing internalisation of cultural appearance ideals, the purpose of this study was to validate a culturally appropriate English version of the Internalisation-General subscale from the Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Attitudes Questionnaire-3 among a school sample of 1,432 urban Indian adolescents (Mage = 12.9 years; 44 % girls). Exploratory factor analyses revealed a one-factor solution for both girls and boys. Analyses indicated a six-item scale for girls and a four-item scale for boys; both of which were verified by confirmatory factor analysis. Cronbach's alpha was high for both female (.88) and male scales (.87), and convergent validity was confirmed via significant correlations with measures of body esteem and disordered eating. Using the items which were common in both the male and female versions of the scale, confirmatory factor analysis supported a psychometrically sound model that was gender invariant, and thus can be used to assess and compare both genders. Overall, results support the reliability and validity of the Internalisation-General subscale among English-speaking urban Indian adolescents.
Keywords: Adolescents; India; Internalisation; Media; Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Attitudes Questionnaire-3; Validation.
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