Factorial validity and group invariance of the Portuguese short version of the Social Physique Anxiety Scale in adolescents

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to determine the factorial validity and group invariance of the Portuguese short-version of the Social Physique Anxiety scale (SPAS). A nationally representative sample of 3330 8th and 10th grade students (mean age = 15.07 ± 1.34 years) completed Motl and Conroy’s (2000) 7-item SPAS version. Principal component analysis followed by confirmatory factor analysis resulted in a 6-item instrument with good internal reliability. Evidence of configural invariance and metric invariance across a variety of samples (as a function of gender, physical activity, diet behavior, perception of body and body mass index) indicate that Social Physique Anxiety construct generalizes across a variety of groups. The current short version should be tested in cross-cultural research.