Background: Among the few instruments used to measure the behavioral component of body image disturbances, the Body Image Avoidance Questionnaire (BIAQ) is the most widely used. Despite the wide utilization of this instrument, it is currently unknown whether it is appropriate for male and female adolescents from middle and junior high schools.
Purpose: The main objective of the present series of studies was to test the construct validity of the BIAQ in a community sample of French adolescents.
Method: The content, factor, and convergent validity of the BIAQ were verified in the context of four independent studies conducted on a total sample of 945 adolescents.
Results: The first study showed that the content and formulation of the French BIAQ items were adequate for children and adolescents. The following three studies provided support for the factor validity, measurement invariance (across sex), reliability, and convergent validity of the French BIAQ. Regarding the measurement invariance tests, the results revealed that the models were invariant up to the levels of the latent means structures. Post hoc probing of these differences showed a significant higher latent mean score of the global BIAQ scale in females (in samples 2 and 3).
Discussion: The present results provide preliminary evidence regarding the construct validity of the BIAQ in a community sample of French adolescents.