Social Appearance Anxiety Scale: a psychometric investigation and evaluation of the influence of individual characteristics on social appearance anxiety in Brazilian adults who practice physical exercise.

Introduction: Evaluating signs of anxiety related to body appearance is becoming increasingly important in contemporary society and, in this sense, the Social Appearance Anxiety Scale (SAAS) seems an interesting alternative of measurement. Objectives: To evaluate the psychometric properties of the Portuguese version of the SAAS when applied to Brazilian adults who practice physical exercise and verify the influence of individual characteristics on participants' social appearance anxiety. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted online. The participants completed the SAAS and a demographic questionnaire. The psychometric properties of the SAAS one-factor model were evaluated using confirmatory factor analysis. A structural model was built for men and women to verify the influence of individual characteristics of the participants on social appearance anxiety. Results: 1,495 individuals participated in the study (70.8% women; mean age = 29.5, SD = 8.9 years). The data obtained with the SAAS presented good indicators of validity and reliability for both genders (CFI > 0.97, TLI > 0.97, SRMR = 0.04, α > 0.97, ω > 0.85). For both men and women, greater levels of social appearance anxiety were observed among younger participants, who had a higher body mass index, self-reported an eating disorder, and perceived a change in their body after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. For women specifically, higher income and having started physical exercise more recently were associated with greater levels of social appearance anxiety. Conclusion: The findings supported the validity and reliability of the data obtained with the SAAS and revealed that when investigating social appearance anxiety in future research and clinical protocols, specific individual characteristics should be considered.

Investigating method effects associated with the wording direction of items of the Social Physique Anxiety Scale.

PURPOSE: The use of psychometric instruments to measure latent concepts is common. The development of these instruments usually involves mechanisms to reduce response bias, such as the inclusion of reversed items. The aim of this study was to investigate method effects related to the wording direction of the Social Physique Anxiety Scale (SPAS) items, a one-dimensional instrument that assesses individual's level of anxiety when others observe their body. METHODS: In total, 152 Brazilian adults (65.8% female) answered 2 formats of the SPAS: the original with 12 items (7 regular and 5 reversed); and a new format with all items written in the same direction (i.e., regular). Both formats were filled out at different times and alternately. Differential item functioning analysis (DIF) and confirmatory factor analysis were conducted. RESULTS: The original SPAS did not fit the data, but after allowing covariances between all reversed items, the fit improved. The wording effect was supported by the DIF, indicating a better fit to the data for the new format with all items worded in the same direction. CONCLUSION: The wording of the SPAS items had effect on the psychometric properties of instrument. When the wording of the reversed items was modified, the factor model fitted the data. Future studies should take these findings into account and evaluate the SPAS with all items worded in the same direction in different contexts. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Descriptive (cross-sectional) study, Level V.

Cross-cultural adaptation of the Social Appearance Anxiety Scale to the Portuguese language / Adaptação transcultural da Social Appearance Anxiety Scale para a língua portuguesa

ABSTRACT Objectives To perform the cross-cultural adaptation of the Social Appearance Anxiety Scale (SAAS) to the Portuguese language and estimate its internal consistency in a sample of Brazilian young adults. Methods The cross-cultural adaptation process followed international references based on five stages (translation, synthesis, back-translation, expert assessment, and pretest) to assess idiomatic, semantic, conceptual, and cultural equivalence. The internal consistency was estimated by the ordinal alpha coefficient (α). Results The new Portuguese version is presented in this study with minor changes from the original that did not violate the meaning of the items. This version was tested in 30 adults (women = 56.7%, M age = 26.0 [SD = 6.2] years) who understood the content. The participants completed the scale in an average time of 4.6 (SD = .6) minutes. The internal consistency of the scale was good (α = .95) when applied in a sample of 80 adults (women = 51.2%, M age = 28.0 [SD = 5.7] years). Conclusions The new Portuguese version of the SAAS was equivalent to the original in the idiomatic, semantic, and conceptual area. As the Brazilian participants understood the Portuguese version, cultural equivalence was found. The instrument's internal consistency was adequate to the sample. The findings of this study may help researchers and clinicians interested in using the SAAS in Brazilian context for tracking characteristic symptoms of social anxiety due to physical appearance. However, before using SAAS in any protocol, it is important to evaluate its psychometric properties, especially the construct validity.

RESUMO Objetivos Realizar a adaptação transcultural da Social Appearance Anxiety Scale (SAAS) para a língua portuguesa e estimar sua consistência interna em uma amostra de adultos jovens brasileiros. Métodos O processo de adaptação transcultural seguiu referências internacionais baseando-se em cinco etapas (tradução, síntese, retrotradução, avaliação de especialistas e pré-teste) para avaliar as equivalências idiomática, semântica, conceitual e cultural. A consistência interna foi estimada pelo coeficiente alfa ordinal (α). Resultados A versão em português foi apresentada com pequenas alterações em relação à original, mas isso não comprometeu o significado conceitual dos itens. Essa versão foi pré-testada em 30 adultos [mulheres = 56,7%; M idade = 26,0 (DP = 6,2) anos], que compreenderam bem o conteúdo. O tempo médio de preenchimento da escala foi de 4,6 (DP = 0,6) minutos. A consistência interna da escala foi boa (α = 0,95) quando aplicada em uma amostra de 80 adultos [mulheres = 51,2%; M idade = 28,0 (DP = 5,7) anos]. Conclusões A versão em português da SAAS foi equivalente à original nas áreas idiomática, semântica e conceitual. Além dessas, a equivalência cultural foi atendida, pois a versão em português foi bem compreendida pelo público brasileiro. A consistência interna do instrumento foi adequada para a amostra. Os achados deste estudo podem ajudar pesquisadores e clínicos interessados em usar a SAAS em contexto brasileiro para rastrear sintomas característicos de ansiedade social devido à aparência física. Entretanto, antes de usar a SAAS em qualquer protocolo, é importante avaliar suas propriedades psicométricas, especialmente a validade de construto.