Scale Overview
The Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire-4 (SATAQ-4) was developed by Schaefer, L. M., Burke, N. B., Thompson, J. K., Heinberg, L. J., Calogero, R. M., Bardone-Cone, A. M., Swami, V. (2013). It is designed to measure Sociocultural attitudes towards appearance. The scale is intended for use with Adults and adolescents.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 22 items organized into 5 factors/subscales: Internalization: Thin/Low Body Fat, Internalization: Muscular/Athletic, Pressures: Family, Pressures: Peers, Pressures: Media.
| Factor / Subscale |
Items |
N |
| Internalization: Thin/Low Body Fat |
3,4,5,8,9 |
5 |
| Internalization: Muscular/Athletic |
1,2,6,7,10 |
5 |
| Pressures: Family |
11,12,13,14 |
4 |
| Pressures: Peers |
15,16,17,18 |
4 |
| Pressures: Media |
19,20,21,22 |
4 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Definitely Disagree, 2 = Mostly Disagree, 3 = Neither Agree Nor Disagree, 4 = Mostly Agree, 5 = Definitely Agree.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 22 to 110. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low internalization and pressure: 22 – 54
- Moderate internalization and pressure: 55 – 87
- High internalization and pressure: 88 – 110
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of High internal consistency (typically alphas > 0.80).
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 5 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.