Body Self-esteem Scale: Psychometric reliability and validity data

The goal of the present investigation was to develop a Body Self-Esteem Scale (in Spanish, Escala de Autoestima Corporal [EAC]) and to analyze its psychometric properties. The sample included 2,842 participants from the Basque Country (Spain), 48.5% males and 51.5% females, 62% aged 12 - 16 and 38% aged 17 - 21 years. The scale contains 26 items that assesses body self-esteem, integrating two aspects, body satisfaction and body appeal. The psychometric properties of reliability were analyzed with Cronbach's alpha and test-retest, and convergent validity through the Body Dissatisfaction subscale of the Eating Disorders Inventory (EDI-2), Rosenberg's Self-Esteem Scale (RSE), and a Narcissisism Scale (NP-15). Divergent validity was verified with a Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents (SAS-A). The results show significantly higher scores in females and young people. The psychometric properties of reliability and validity are very satisfactory for the target population. To conclude, the EAC can be applied to adolescents and young people as a screening test to detect the risk of problems of body self-esteem, both in cognitive terms of body satisfaction and in the emotional aspect of body appeal.