Accessing Body Shaming in Adolescents: A Scale Development and Psychometric Properties in Pakistani Adolescents

Body shaming is a very sensitive but common phenomenon in the current era. It mainly affects adolescents as in this age range they experience drastic physical e.g. bodily changes. The current study aimed to investigate the sensitivity of body shaming and its rising prevalence among adolescents. 36 items were initially created from an open-ended interview with 20 individuals, 10 boys and 10 girls, ages ranging from 15 to 19 years. After content validity was done, a pilot study was carried out on a self-report measure of body shaming on a sample of 10 participants (5 boys and 5 girls). After that, a sample of 350 participants (boys 50%, girls 50%) aged around 15 to 19 years (M=17.25, SD= 1.14) was tested for psychometric properties of the Body Shaming Victimization Scale (BSVS). Factor analysis generated three factors of the Body-Shaming Victimization Scale (BSVS): Poor Self-image, Social Isolation, and Fear of Social Rejection. The scale was found to have good internal consistency, construct validity, and reliability. Most girls were found to score higher on this scale.