Evaluation of the internal structure of the Body Esteem scale: A Factor analytic study

The body esteem scale is a 35-item self-report questionnaire prepared to measure a person's beliefs about the body. This questionnaire consists of three sub-scales of sexual attractiveness, concern about weight, and physical condition. The purpose of this study was to investigate the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the Body Esteem scale on women.

this research was a correlational study. The statistical population is all Iranian women between the ages of 18 and 50 in 1400. 50 people were selected by the available sampling method and answered questionnaires on body esteem (BES-1986), Rosenberg self-esteem (RSE-1965), and women's sexual excitation and inhibition scale (SES-W-2006). The reliability of the questionnaire was calculated using the internal consistency method.

The reliability coefficient evaluated by internal consistency was higher than 0.70. Exploratory factor analysis indicated that 3 solution factors had better fitness and the factors included sexual attractiveness, concern about weight, and physical condition. Construct validity with confirmatory factor analysis showed that the three-factor model of the scale has a good fit in Iranian women's society.

Based on the results of this research, it can be concluded that the body esteem scale has adequate reliability and validity and can be used in research and clinical interventions.