Development and validation of a male specific body checking questionnaire

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Behavioral Science
• Psychometrics

Background:

• Body checking is a significant behavior linked to body image disturbance.
• Existing measures for body checking are limited, especially for men.
• There is a need for a reliable tool to assess male body checking behaviors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate the Male Body Checking Questionnaire (MBCQ).
• To provide a psychometrically sound instrument for assessing body checking in men.

Main Methods:

• The study involved three samples of men and women to test validity and reliability.
• Factor analyses were used to determine the questionnaire's structure.
• Convergent and divergent validity, along with test-retest reliability, were assessed.

Main Results:

• Factor analysis revealed a reliable four-factor structure for men, with a higher-order global checking factor.
• The MBCQ demonstrated strong concurrent and divergent validity.
• The questionnaire exhibited good short-term test-retest reliability and high internal consistency.

Conclusions:

• The MBCQ is a psychometrically validated tool suitable for research on males.
• It can be used to investigate body image-related pathology in men.
• Recommendations for future research utilizing the MBCQ are discussed.