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The aim of the current study was to examine the psychometric properties of two well-established measures of sociocultural influence and internalization of the thin/low body fat ideal and muscular ideal. Data from 6272 emerging adults (68.9 % female), aged 18-30 years from Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, Italy, Japan, Spain, and the U.S. were included in this study. Participants completed measures of pressure from mother, fathers, peers, and media, to both increase muscles and lose weight, as well as internalization of the thin/low body fat ideal and muscular ideal. Overall, support for partial invariance was found across the scales. In addition, group level differences were found between countries as well as along demographic factors including gender, age, body mass index, and socioeconomic status. These findings make an important contribution by identifying these scales as useful tools that will support future cross-country and cross-cultural examinations of explanatory models of the development of body image and eating concerns grounded within sociocultural theories., (Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

This study examined the measurement invariance of three scales that assessed emotional eating, restrained eating, and intuitive eating across eight countries (Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, Italy, Japan, Spain and the United States) in order to determine their suitability for cross-country body image research. A total of 6272 young adults took part in this study. Participants completed an online survey including the Emotional Eating subscale of the Three Factor Eating Questionnaire-Revised 21, the Restraint subscale of the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire, and the Reliance on Hunger and Satiety Cues subscale of The Intuitive Eating Scale-2. Multi-group confirmatory factor analysis was used to evaluate potential cross-country differences in functioning of the measures. Partial invariance for all three scales was found, with only minor levels of non-invariance identified. Multiple indicator multiple cause models identified BMI and gender as potential influences on scores for these measures. Sources of invariance across groups are discussed, as well as implications for further substantive research across countries involving these measures., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors reported no declarations of interest., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The aim of this study was to examine the cross-country invariance of five well-established measures of body weight and shape concern-related attitudes and behaviors (i.e., drive for leanness, drive for muscularity, strategies to increase muscle, strategies to lose weight, and weight and shape concerns). A secondary objective was to examine the effects of several sociodemographic factors (age, BMI, socioeconomic status, and gender) on item and latent factor scores of these constructs. A total of 6272 emerging adults (4218 women; M age = 21.46, SD = 3.11) from Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, Italy, Japan, Spain, and the U.S. completed a self-report online survey as part of a larger study. Overall, support for partial invariance both across countries and in terms of the considered sociodemographic factors was found for reduced versions of the five measures. Significant differences in latent means were found across countries, these being of greater magnitude for drive for leanness and strategies to lose weight. The considered sociodemographic factors (most notably BMI and gender) were associated with the latent mean scores of the assessed constructs. The present study contributes to current literature by providing cross-cultural invariant versions of several measures of relevance in the field of body image., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors report no declarations of interest., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)