Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire-3 (SATAQ-3)

Description

The Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire (SATAQ) is a 30-item self-report questionnaire that measures the extent to which individuals internalize societal standards of appearance. It was developed by Rebecca L. Heinberg, Peggy L. Thompson, and Stacey T. Stormer in 1995. The SATAQ is widely used in research and clinical settings to assess sociocultural influences on body image and eating disturbance.

Definition

Sociocultural attitudes towards appearance are the beliefs and values that a society holds about what constitutes an attractive body. These attitudes are often communicated through the media, advertising, and social interactions. They can have a significant impact on how individuals feel about their own appearance and can contribute to body image problems and eating disorders.

History

The concept of sociocultural attitudes towards appearance has been around for centuries. However, it was not until the 1970s that researchers began to study the impact of these attitudes on body image and eating disturbance. In 1995, Heinberg, Thompson, and Stormer developed the SATAQ as a tool for measuring sociocultural attitudes towards appearance.

Characteristics

The SATAQ consists of 30 items that are rated on a 5-point Likert scale. The items measure three dimensions of sociocultural attitudes towards appearance:

  • Thin-ideal internalization: The extent to which individuals believe that being thin is important and that they should strive to achieve a thin body.
  • Muscular-ideal internalization: The extent to which individuals believe that being muscular is important and that they should strive to achieve a muscular body.
  • Appearance-related pressures: The extent to which individuals feel pressure from others to look a certain way.

The SATAQ has been shown to be a reliable and valid measure of sociocultural attitudes towards appearance. It has been used in a variety of research studies to assess the prevalence of sociocultural attitudes towards appearance in different populations, as well as to study the relationship between sociocultural attitudes towards appearance and body image and eating disturbance.

Sources

  • Heinberg, R. L., Thompson, P. L., & Stormer, S. T. (1995). Development and validation of the Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire. Journal of Personality Assessment, 64(3), 263-276.
  • Thompson, J. K., Heinberg, L. R., Altabe, M., & Tantleff-Dunn, S. (1999). Exacting beauty: Theory, assessment, and treatment of body image disturbance. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
  • Cash, T. F. (2000). Body image: What causes it and how to change it. New York: Guilford Press.
  • Levine, M. P., & Smolak, L. (2010). The body image workbook: An 8-week program for learning to love your body. New York: The Guilford Press.
  • National Eating Disorders Association. (n.d.). Sociocultural influences on eating disorders. Retrieved from https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/learn/general/sociocultural-influences-eating-disorder

Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire-3 (SATAQ-3)

Heinberg & Thompson‚ 1995; Thompson et al.‚ 1999
 
  1. TV programs are an important source of information about fashion and “being attractive.”
  2. I’ve felt pressure from TV or magazines to lose weight.
  3. do not care if my body looks like the body of people who are on TV.
  4.  I compare my body to the bodies of people who are on TV.
  5. TV commercials are an important source of information fashion and “being attractive.”
  6.  I do not feel pressure from TV or magazines to look pretty.
  7. I would like my body to look like the models who appear in magazines.
  8.  I compare my appearance to the appearance of TV and movie stars.
  9. Music videos on TV are not an important source of information about fashion and “being attractive.”
  10. I’ve felt pressure from TV and magazines to be thin.
  11.  I would like my body to look like the people who are in movies.
  12. do not compare my body to the bodies of people who appear in magazines.
  13.  Magazine articles are not an important source of information about fashion and “beingattractive.”
  14. I’ve felt pressure from TV or magazines to have a perfect body.
  15.  I wish I looked like the models in music videos.
  16. I compare my appearance to the appearance of people in magazines.
  17. Magazine advertisements are an important source of information about fashion and “being attractive.”
  18. I’ve felt pressure from TV or magazines to diet.
  19.  I do not wish to look as athletic as the people in magazines.
  20. I compare my body to that of people in “good shape.”
  21.  Pictures in magazines are an important source of information about fashion and “being attractive.
  22. I’ve felt pressure from TV or magazines to exercise.
  23.  I wish I looked as athletic as sports stars.
  24. I compare my body to that of people who are athletic.
  25.  Movies are an important source of information about fashion and “being attractive.”
  26. I’ve felt pressure from TV or magazines to change my appearance.
  27.  I do not try to look like the people on TV.
  28. Movie starts are not an important source of information about fashion and “being attractive.”
  29.  Famous people are an important source of information about fashion and “being attractive.”
  30.  I try to look like sports athletes.                                                                                               .
This instrument can be found online at: http://bodyimagedisturbance.usf.edu/sat/index.htm
 
1=Definitely Disagree‚ 2=Mostly Disagree‚ 3=Neither Agree Nor Disagree‚ 4=Mostly Agree‚ 5= Definitely Agree
Internalization-General: Items: 3‚ 4‚ 7‚ 8‚ 11‚ 12‚ 15‚ 16‚ 27
Internalization-Athlete: Items: 19‚ 20‚ 23‚ 24‚ 30
Pressures: Items: 2‚ 6‚ 10‚ 14‚ 18‚ 22‚ 26
Information: Items: 1‚ 5‚ 9‚ 13‚ 17‚ 21‚ 25‚ 28‚ 29
Reverse-keyed items: 3‚ 6‚ 9‚ 12‚ 13‚ 19‚ 27‚ 28
 
For more information contact:
J. Kevin Thompson‚ Ph.D
Department of Psychology
University of South Florida
4202 Fowler Ave
Tampa‚ FL 33620-8200

J. Kevin Thompson‚ Patricia van den Berg‚ Megan Roehrig‚ Angela S. Guarda‚ and Leslie J. Heinberg. 2003. The Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Scale-3 (SATAQ-3): Development and Validation. Journal of Eating Disorders. Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com).

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