Psychometric properties of a Bahasa Malaysia (Malay) translation of the Body and Appearance Self-Conscious Emotions Scale (BASES): An assessment using exploratory structural equation modelling.

The Body and Appearance Self-Conscious Emotions Scale (BASES) measures self-conscious emotions in relation to the body and appearance. While scores have been shown to support a hypothesised 4-factor model consisting of facets of shame, guilt, authentic pride, and hubristic pride, previous studies are limited in their sole reliance on confirmatory factor analysis. Here, we assessed the psychometric properties of a novel Bahasa Malaysia translation of the BASES using an exploratory structural equation modelling (ESEM) framework. Malaysian adults (N = 1049) completed the BASES along with measures of body appreciation, psychological well-being, and secure non-striving. The results of exploratory factor analysis and ESEM in separate split-half subsamples supported a 2-dimensional model consisting of Shame-Guilt and Authentic-Hubristic Pride. This 2-dimensional model was broadly invariant across ethnicity, gender, and age, had adequate internal consistency, and evidenced adequate construct validity in relation to the Authenthic-Hubristic Pride subscale. We interpret our findings as consistent with the view that cultural factors shape the way in which body and appearance-related self-conscious emotions are manifested. Our results also highlight the importance of considering alternative conceptualisations of body and appearance-related self-conscious emotions, which previous studies may have obscured through their reliance on confirmatory factor analyses.

The Body Acceptance by Others Scale-2 (BAOS-2): Psychometric properties of a Bahasa Malaysia (Malay) translation and an assessment of invariance across Malaysia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

The Body Acceptance by Others Scale-2 (BAOS-2) is a 13-item instrument measuring generalised perceptions of body acceptance by others. Here, we first demonstrate that a Bahasa Malaysia (Malay) translation of the BAOS-2 is psychometrically valid in a sample of 1,049 Malaysian adults (Study 1). Using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, we extracted a unidimensional model of BAOS-2 scores that retained all 13 items. BAOS-2 scores had adequate internal consistency and indices of validity (convergent, construct, concurrent, and incremental), and were scalar invariant across gender and ethnicity (Malaysian Malays vs. Chinese). Next, we assessed invariance of BAOS-2 scores across samples from Malaysia, the United Kingdom, and the United States (total N = 2,575; Study 2). Multi-group confirmatory factor analysis showed that partial scalar invariance was achieved. Participants in the interdependent cultural context of Malaysia had significantly higher scores - with small effect sizes - than their counterparts in the independent contexts of the United Kingdom and United States. In addition, women had significantly higher scores than men, but the effect size was negligible. The present study indicates that the Malay BAOS-2 is a psychometrically valid instrument and presents the first comparison of BAOS-2 scores across interdependent and independent contexts.