Body-esteem scale for adolescents and adults

J Pers Assess. 2001 Feb;76(1):90-106. doi: 10.1207/S15327752JPA7601_6.

Abstract

Body esteem (BE) refers to self-evaluations of one's body or appearance. This article outlines a BE questionnaire for adolescents and adults that has 3 subscales: BE-Appearance (general feelings about appearance), BE-Weight (weight satisfaction), and BE-Attribution (evaluations attributed to others about one's body and appearance). The subscales have high internal consistency and 3-month test-retest reliability. Females scored lower than males on BE-Weight and BE-Appearance. BE-Weight was the only subscale uniquely related to weight, especially in females, with heavy individuals tending to be dissatisfied with their weight. BE-Appearance was the only subscale that consistently predicted self-esteem. BE-Appearance and BE-Weight covaried more with Neeman and Harter's (1986) Appearance subscale than with other self-esteem subscales; BE-Attribution covaried more with social self-esteem subscales than did BE-Appearance and BE-Weight.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Age Factors
  • Body Image*
  • Body Weight
  • Factor Analysis, Statistical
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Psychological Tests*
  • Quebec
  • Reference Values
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Self Concept*
  • Sex Factors
  • Social Perception
  • Somatotypes