THE OFFER SELF-IMAGE QUESTIONNAIRE FOR ADOLESCENTS - PSYCHOMETRIC PROPERTIES AND FACTOR STRUCTURE

The reliability and validity of the Offer Self-Image Questionnaire (OS IQ) for adolescents were investigated using data from an Australian sa mple of male and female school students, with an average age of 14.9 y ears (n = 216). Reliability coefficients were high for all subscales e xcept the Morals subscale. Results indicated significant correlations of the OSIQ subscales with Lang and Tisher's Children's Depression Sca le of 1978 and small correlations with a measure of social desirabilit y. A factor analysis yielded five interpretable oblique factors that s upport the concept of a multidimensional self-image. Identification of items contributing little to the subscale alphas, and not loading on the factors yielded by the factor analysis, highlights the need for fu rther development and validation of the OSIQ. Implications for the dev elopment of the self-concept at adolescence are also discussed.