Normative and psychometric data on the body image assessment-revised

After falling into disfavor in the early 1990s, the construct of body image , as measured by body-size estimation (BSE) techniques, has been the focus of increasing interest in the eating disorder literature because of recent theoretical, empirical, and methodological advances. However, no published BSE measure to date has been shown to be psychometrically sound, well norme d, inexpensive, and straightforward. This article provides normative and ps ychometric data for an adapted silhouette BSE measure. Comprehensive normat ive data are presented on college women's cognitively and affectively based body-size estimates, as well as their desired body size and related discre pancy indexes (cognitive vs, desired, affective vs, desired, affective vs. cognitive). Preliminary data indicate that indexes from the new measure are moderately reliable over time, consistent with their theoretical link to f luctuations in body-related attitudes. Data also support the convergent val idity of the measures. Affectively based BSE, alone or as part of a discrep ancy measure with desired body size, was most strongly related to measures of eating pathology, body focus, body dissatisfaction, and depressed affect .