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This study analyzes, in a sample of Mexican students, the factor structure of the Physical Self-Concept Questionnaire of Goñi, Ruiz de Azúa, and Rodríguez (2006), which assesses physical ability, physical fitness, attractiveness, strength, general physical self-concept, and global self-concept. A representative sample of 1,466 Mexican university physical education students was selected (754 men, 712 women; M age=20.6 yr., SD=2.0). Confirmatory factor analysis showed a two-factor structure (motor competency and physical attractiveness). The two-factor structure, regarding statistical and substantive criteria, had good fit indices. Results of the factor analyses carried out with the sub-samples indicated a strong stability and evidence for the factor structure obtained. The findings support the use of this questionnaire to measure physical self-concept in Mexican university students. Future studies should replicate these findings in other populations.

Body image is a mental representation that a person has, which could become a body dissatisfaction due to the pressure exerted by the culture, affecting several life stages specially in adolescents. The aim of this study was to analyze the psychometric properties and factorial invariance of the questionnaire to assess body image dissatisfaction. The sample consisted of 552 Mexican teenagers, 259 female, and 293 male, with a mean age of 12.91 ± 0.96 years. Confirmatory Factor Analyses show that a five-factor structure is viable and adequate. The five-factor structure (perceptual, emotional distress, behavioral, proposal to change, and fear of gaining weight) show adequate fit indices and validity, even though the obtained model does not completely correspond to that proposed by the authors of the scale, it continues to endorse the multifactorial component of body dissatisfaction. On the other hand, the factorial structure, the factor loadings, and the intercepts are considered invariant in both populations; however, there are differences between the populations for the means of the perceptual, emotional distress, and fear of gaining weight factors. This study serves as a premise for future research on the study of instruments for measuring body image in populations with different personal and cultural factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main purpose of the present study was to construct a predictive model of the personal self-concept from physical activity and body image in female Mexican young adults through structural equation modeling. A total of 515 female aged 18-25 years old completed the International Physical Activity Questionnaire, Personal Self-concept Questionnaire and modified Multidimensional Body Self Relations Questionnaire. The results of structural equation modeling showed that regular physical activity, through the subjective importance of fitness and importance of physical appearance, has an indirect positive effect on personal self-concept in the dimension of emotional self-concept and this in turn has a direct positive effect on autonomy (and indirect through self-fulfillment). The proposed model obtains a satisfactory fit, accounting for 63% of the variance in personal self-concept in the dimension of autonomy (variable criteria). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Anxiety is a feeling of fear, dread or restlessness and can develop into a weight-related disorder. The objective was to analyze the psychometric properties of the trait anxiety subscale of the Physical Appearance State and Trait Anxiety Scale (PASTAS), as well as the invariance in Mexican preadolescents. The sample consisted of 604 participants, 285 female and 319 male, whose ages ranged between 11 and 12 years (M = 11.37; SD = 0.48). The questionnaire's factor structure was analyzed using confirmatory factor analyses. The analyses show the viability and adequacy of a two-factor structure (weight and non-weight factors) both for the total sample and for the populations of male and female. The two-factor structure showed adequate reliability and validity fit indicators. The factor structure, the factor loadings and intercepts are considered invariant according to the variable sex; however, differences between female and male participants were found for levels of anxiety caused by physical appearance. In conclusion, the PASTAS can be considered a convenient instrument to assess the variables related to anxiety generated by one's physical appearance, as well as allowing more participants to be quickly assessed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self-concept is one of the most relevant variables in the field of personality, and a negative self-perception can pose a risk to the adolescent's development. The present study aimed to analyze the psychometric properties proposed by Aguirre and collaborators for the dimensional self-concept questionnaire (AUDIM-M). The total sample was 560 adolescents from the city of Chihuahua, Chihuahua, with a mean age of 12.96 ± 0.88 years. The factor structure of the questionnaire was analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis. The analyses show that a four-factor structure is viable and adequate (GFI 0.964; RMSEA 0.057; CFI 0.950). The four-factor structure (personal self-concept, physical self-concept, social self-concept, and academic self-concept), according to statistical and substantive criteria, shows adequate indicators of reliability and validity adjustment. The model obtained coincides with that proposed by Aguirre et al. Improving adolescents' self-concept undoubtedly contributes to their quality of life, hence the need for valid and reliable instruments for its measurement; this study could be a first approach for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]