Youth Appearance Anxiety Scale – Chinese Version

Description

Appearance anxiety refers to an individual’s concern about whether their appearance meets social aesthetic standards, leading to psychological anticipation of negative evaluations regarding their looks. This anxiety manifests as feelings of worry, distress, tension, and insecurity, representing a type of social evaluation-related anxiety (Dion, Keelan, 1990) and is categorized as a form of social anxiety. It is highly correlated with low self-esteem, depression, eating disorders, reduced positive emotions and happiness, and low self-worth (Tang Wenqing et al., 2019; Ren Fen, Wang Yanxue, 2019; Huang Puyue, 2018). Appearance anxiety is not an isolated phenomenon but is commonly present among populations. A 2023 survey indicated that 56.6% of working women in China experience anxiety concerning their appearance and body shape, placing a high emphasis on looks. While everyone has an appreciation for beauty, studies have shown that, compared to men, women generally have poorer body satisfaction and body image attitudes and place greater importance on appearance, leading to a higher incidence of appearance anxiety among women.

Authors and Contact Email

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Purpose

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Test Year

2023

Administration Method and Scoring

The Youth Appearance Anxiety Scale (青年外表焦虑量表) is a research tool comprising 25 items, including dimensions like appearance anxiety, body shape anxiety, skin anxiety, and behavior involvement. The scale utilizes a Likert scale with 7 levels, where scores range from 1 to 7, representing “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree.” A higher score indicates a greater severity of appearance anxiety.

Reliability and Validity

Information not available

Factors and Subscales

The factors influencing appearance anxiety can be categorized into three main classes:
1. Social cultural factors including social media, significant others, and values.
2. Biological factors including gender, age, body mass index (BMI), and visible differences.
3. Psychological factors including cognitive styles and personality traits.

Keywords

Appearance anxiety, social media, body image, gender differences, cognitive dissonance, eating disorders, self-esteem.

Items in Chinese

1. 我总是花大量的时间和精力来遮盖自己的容貌缺点(如化妆)
2. 我总是在网络媒体搜索与容貌相关的话题
3. 我在拍照时会感到很紧张
4. 我总担心他人在背后谈论我的容貌
5. 当他人在谈论如何提升颜值时，我感到焦虑
6. 当与容貌更佳的人待在一起时，我会感到不安
7. 我会因为别人关注我的容貌而表情不自然
8. 我害怕即使付出了努力，我的身材也无法达到理想标准
9. 我总是在网络媒体搜索与改善或保持身材相关的话题
10. 我会因身材原因不想拍照
11. 我担心自己的身材缺乏吸引力
12. 我会因身材原因减少参加社交活动
13. 我会因身材原因减少逛街购物
14. 我总担心别人对我的身材做出负面评价
15. 我常害怕他人关注、提及或谈论我的身材
16. 我会因身材原因不想照镜子
17. 我总担心自己的身材被拿来比较
18. 我会因身材原因不想称体重
19. 即使在室内或阴天，我也担心皮肤会变差
20. 当人们在谈论皮肤相关问题时，我感到不安
21. 我总担心自己的皮肤状态被拿来比较
22. 我担心人们会因为我的皮肤而不喜欢我
23. 我试图通过戴口罩来遮盖自己的脸，以避免在社交场合被人关注皮肤
24. 我经常在网络媒体搜索与护肤相关的话题
25. 我会因皮肤原因减少出现在公共场合的次数

Items in English

1. I always spend a lot of time and effort covering up my appearance flaws (e.g., makeup).
2. I often search for topics related to appearance on social media.
3. I feel very nervous when taking photos.
4. I always worry that others are talking about my appearance behind my back.
5. I feel anxious when others discuss how to enhance their appearance.
6. I feel uncomfortable when I’m around people who look better than me.
7. I feel unnatural when I know others are focused on my appearance.
8. I fear that, even with effort, my figure will not meet ideal standards.
9. I frequently search for topics related to improving or maintaining my figure on social media.
10. I avoid taking photos due to my body shape.
11. I worry that my body lacks attractiveness.
12. I reduce my participation in social activities due to my body shape.
13. I refrain from shopping due to my body shape.
14. I constantly worry about others making negative evaluations about my body.
15. I often fear others will pay attention to, mention, or talk about my figure.
16. I avoid looking in the mirror due to my body shape.
17. I always worry that my figure will be compared to others.
18. I avoid weighing myself because of my body shape.
19. Even indoors or on cloudy days, I worry about my skin getting worse.
20. I feel uneasy when people discuss skin-related issues.
21. I constantly worry that my skin condition will be compared to others.
22. I fear that people won’t like me because of my skin.
23. I try to cover my face with a mask to avoid being focused on my skin in social situations.
24. I frequently search for skincare-related topics on social media.
25. I reduce my appearances in public due to my skin condition.

References

Dion, K. L., & Keelan, J. (1990).
Tang Wenqing, Xu Xiaoxue, & Liu Yanyun. (2019).
Ren Fen & Wang Yanxue. (2019).
Huang Puyue. (2018).
Malmborg, J. et al. (2017).
Michael et al. (2014).
Festinger, L. (1957).
Stice, E. (2001).
Eric Stice’s research.