Understanding sociocultural factors (i.e., thin-ideal internalization and pressures for thinness) is a key step in managing disordered eating risk. Although sociocultural factors may vary across cultures and nations, studies on populations outside of Europe and North America are sparse, and psychometric data are often lacking. The purpose of this study was to validate a Farsi version of the Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire-4 (F-SATAQ-4) in Iranian college students. Participants (age 18-30) were recruited from Iranian universities, resulting in two separate convenience samples for Study 1 (n = 328 men, n = 342 women) and Study 2 (n = 336 men, n = 331 women). In Study 1, which followed back-translation procedure, exploratory factor analyses supported a 5-factor structure of the F-SATAQ-4 for men and women (i.e., thin-ideal internalization, athletic-ideal internalization, family pressure, media pressure, and peers pressure). In Study 2, confirmatory factor analyses confirmed the same structure for men and women. The F-SATAQ-4 subscales scores demonstrated excellent reliability, internal consistency, and weak convergent validity for men and women, as evidenced by significant Pearson's correlations with shape/weight concerns (EDE-Q), appearance evaluation (MBSRQ-AE), social comparison (PACS-R), perceived pressures for thinness (PSPS), BMI, as well as a partial discriminant validity with self-esteem (RSES) in women. Women scored higher on thin-ideal internalization, while men scored higher on athletic-ideal internalization. Participants with higher weights had higher scores on thin-ideal internalization and on family and peers pressures. The Farsi SATAQ-4 is a useful measure of internalization and pressures for thinness among Iranian college men and women.
Keywords: Body image; Internalization; Measurement; Pressures for thinness.
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