Psychometric properties and validation of the Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire-4 (SATAQ-4) with a sample of Japanese adolescent girls

The Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire-4 (SATAQ-4) is a 22-item five-factor measure that assesses thin- and muscular-ideal internalization as well as appearance-related pressures from peers, family, and media. The scale has been validated in Western cultures, but has not yet been examined in Eastern samples. Two studies were conducted to examine the psychometric properties of the SATAQ-4 among 946 Japanese adolescent girls. In Study 1, exploratory factor analysis of the SATAQ-4 indicated that the five-factor structure was largely replicated with the exception of two cross-loading items. In Study 2, confirmatory factor analysis indicated good fit for the full 22-item and reduced 20-item versions of the measure. SATAQ-4 subscales exhibited good internal consistency and were correlated in the expected direction with experiences of appearance teasing, strategies to lose and/or gain weight, and drive for muscularity. Overall, results support the reliability and validity of the SATAQ-4 among Japanese adolescent girls.