Reliability and Validity of Adolescents' Scores on the Body Esteem Scale

Abstract

The present study examined the psychometric properties of the Body Esteem Scale (BES) among 255 girls and 436 boys from Grades 5 through 12. To date, the BES has been found to yield reliable and valid scores for adults, but it has not been used among adolescents. In the present study, internal consistency was evidenced for the gender-specific subscales, with values ranging from .82 to .94. Principal components analyses with oblique rotation replicated the original adult, gender-specific factor structures for both boys and girls, although an additional factor was obtained for girls. Convergent validity was evidenced by statistically significant correlations between the BES and cigarette smoking behavior, future smoking intentions, and feelings of self-esteem. Moderate support for divergent validity was demonstrated, with scores on the BES gender-specific subscales being unrelated to socioeconomic status and number of hours per week television is watched. The investigation provides preliminary data that the BES may be a psychometrically defensible assessment of body esteem among adolescents.