Psychometric properties of the Drive for Muscularity Scale in Malay men

Psychometric properties of an Arabic translation of the short 9-item drive for muscularity scale (DMS-9)

BACKGROUND

After the original 15-item Drive for Muscularity Scale developed by McCreary et al. in 2004, a more theoretically based scale that replicates the original DMS subscales with a better conceptual clarity and a shorter number of items, i.e., the DMS-9, has recently been developed by Chaba et al. in 2018. We sought to contribute to the literature especially under the Arab context, by investigating the psychometric properties of an Arabic translation of the DMS-9 in a sample of Arabic-speaking Lebanese university students of both genders.

METHODS

University students (N = 402; 55.2% females) from multiple universities in Lebanon were invited to fill the survey in this cross-sectional designed study (December 2022 and January 2023). Our sample was chosen using the snowball technique; a soft copy of the questionnaire was created using google forms software, and an online approach was conceived to proceed with the data collection.

RESULTS

Using an Exploratory Factor Analysis-to- Confirmatory Factor Analysis strategy, we found that the original two-factor model of the DMS proposed in the parent study was adequately replicated in our sample. The two DMS-9 factor scores showed very good McDonald's omega values (ω > 0.8). Findings also showed that gender invariance was achieved at the configural, metric, and scalar levels. Additionally, drive for muscularity scores correlated in the expected way with other study variables, providing support for the convergent and divergent validity of the Arabic DMS-9. Specifically, we found that greater drive for muscularity attitudes and behaviors significantly correlated with more severe muscle dysmorphic symptoms, inappropriate eating attitudes, muscle bias internalization, and lower body appreciation.

CONCLUSION

Findings preliminarily suggest that the Arabic DMS-9 is psychometrically sound and suitable tool to assess the drive for muscularity construct among Arabic-speaking community adults. Making the Arabic DMS-9 available will hopefully benefit the scientific community working in Arab settings, promote local and international research in this area, and offer descriptive data on how drive for muscularity may interfere with health indicators in the general Arab population.

Psychometric evaluation of the Drive for Muscularity Scale among weightlifters in Jamaica

PURPOSE

This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Drive for Muscularity Scale (McCreary and Sasse, J Am Coll Health 48(6): 297-304, 2000) (DMS) among a sample of Jamaican male weightlifters.

METHODS

205 weightlifters (M_age = 28.49, SD = 9.61) from rural and urban areas in Jamaica, completed the DMS, the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 Items (DASS-21) and the Body Areas Satisfaction Scale (BASS) in a cross-sectional design. Confirmatory factor analysis was performed on the DMS and conventional fit indices used to determine model fit. Measurement invariance was examined for urban and rural participants. Correlations between the DMS scores and the DASS-21 and BASS were determined to examine the validity of the scale.

RESULTS

Confirmatory factor analysis of the original 2-factor model (muscularity-oriented body image and muscularity behaviors) resulted in overall good fit (CFI = .94, TLI = 0.93, RMSEA = 0.06 [0.05, 0.08], SRMR = 0.08). Also, measurement invariance was observed between weightlifters from rural and urban areas. The DMS was principally correlated with specific body areas previously associated with male's body dissatisfaction (muscle tone, upper torso and weight) (r_s = 0.17 to .47). The DMS showed significant weak to moderate negative correlations with the DASS-21 (r_s = - 0.16 to - 0.32). Adequate levels of internal consistency were observed (omega = 0.75-0.88).

CONCLUSION

The DMS showed to be a valid instrument to evaluate the drive for muscularity in Jamaican weightlifters and has utility in informing further research, diagnosis and treatment of body image-related pathologies.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level V, cross-sectional descriptive study.

Translation and validation of body image instruments: Challenges, good practice guidelines, and reporting recommendations for test adaptation

Body image research has grown rapidly to include new cultural and linguistic populations, but this gives rise to a need for measurement instruments that are sensitive to local contextual variations while remaining equivalent across groups. Test adaptation, or the translation and validation of a source instrument for use in a new cultural group, is an important part of this process. Here, we offer an operational framework for conducting effective test adaptation. We cover good-practice guidelines for instrument translation and suggest effective strategies for achieving semantic equivalence of translated instruments. We also focus on measurement invariance and provide good-practice and reporting guidelines for conducting exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Finally, we suggest good-practice guidelines for demonstrating that scores on translated measures have good reliability and validity. It is our hope that the availability of this article will assist body image scholars seeking to conduct robust test adaptations of existing measurement tools.

Translation and validation of a Bahasa Malaysia (Malay) version of the Functionality Appreciation Scale

The Functionality Appreciation Scale (FAS; Alleva et al., 2017) is a 7-item measure of an individual's appreciation of their body for what it can do and is capable of doing. To date, its psychometric properties have not been examined beyond the parent study and outside English-speaking samples. To rectify this, we examined the psychometric properties of a Bahasa Malaysia (Malay) translation of the FAS. An online sample of 815 Malaysia citizens completed a Malay translation of the FAS, along with validated measures of body appreciation, weight discrepancy, drive for muscularity, perceived pressure from and internalisation of appearance ideals, self-esteem, and trait mindfulness. Exploratory factor analyses supported a 1-dimensional factor structure of FAS scores, which was upheld using confirmatory factor analysis. FAS scores were also invariant across sex and there was no significant sex difference in scores. Construct validity was generally supported through significant associations with the additional measures included in the study. Incremental validity was also established insofar as functionality appreciation predicted self-esteem over-and-above the variance accounted for by other body image measures. The availability of the Malay FAS will be of use to scholars in Malaysia, but establishing cross-linguistic invariance will be an important next step.

Systematic review of body image measures

This systematic review synthesizes and critically appraises measurement properties of influential body image measures. Eight measures that met the definition of an assessment of body image (i.e., an individual's cognitive or affective evaluation of their body or appearance with a positive or negative valence), and scored high on systematic expert priority ranking, were included. These measures were: the Body Appreciation Scale (original BAS and BAS-2), the Body Esteem Scale for Adolescents and Adults, the Body Shape Questionnaire, the Centre for Appearance Research Valence Scale, the Drive for Muscularity Scale, two subscales of the Eating Disorders Examination Questionnaire, one subscale of the Eating Disorder Inventory 3, and two subscales of the Multidimensional Body Relations Questionnaire. Articles assessing these scales' psychometric properties (N = 136) were evaluated for their methodological quality using the Consensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement Instruments (COSMIN) checklist, and a best evidence synthesis was performed. The results supported the majority of measures in terms of reliability and validity; however, suitability varied across populations, and some measurement properties were insufficiently evaluated. The measures are discussed in detail, including recommendations for their future use in research and clinical practice.

Factor structure and psychometric properties of a Bahasa Malaysia (Malay) translation of the Body Appreciation Scale-2 (BAS-2)

The 10-item Body Appreciation Scale-2 (BAS-2) is a widely-used measure of a facet of positive body image. Here, we examined the psychometric properties of a Bahasa Malaysia (Malay) translation of the BAS-2 in a community sample of Malaysian Malay and Chinese adults (N = 781). Participants completed the Malay BAS-2 alongside demographic items and measures of subjective happiness, life satisfaction, actual-ideal weight discrepancy (women only), drive for muscularity (men only), and internalisation of appearance ideals. Exploratory factor analyses with a Malay subsample indicated that BAS-2 scores reduced to a single dimension with all 10 items in women and men, although the factor structure was similar but not identical across sex. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the one-dimensional factor structure had adequate fit following modifications. BAS-2 scores were partially scalar invariant across sex (with no significant sex differences) and ethnicity (Malay participants had significantly higher body appreciation than Chinese participants), as well as had adequate internal consistency. Evidence of construct and incremental validity was also provided through associations with additional measures and the prediction of subjective happiness over-and-above other variables, respectively. The availability of the Malay BAS-2 should help advance research on the body appreciation construct in Malay-speaking populations.

Factor structure and psychometric properties of a Romanian translation of the drive for Muscularity Scale (DMS) in university men

We examined the psychometric properties of a Romanian translation of the 15-item Drive for Muscularity Scale (DMS). Male university students from Romania (N = 343) completed the DMS, as well as measures of self-esteem, body appreciation, and muscle discrepancy. Exploratory factor analysis indicated that DMS scores reduced to two factors that related to muscularity-oriented attitudes and behaviours, with both first-order factors loading onto a higher-order factor. However, confirmatory factor analysis indicated that a model with two first-order factors and a higher-order factor had poor fit. A two-factor model without a higher-order construct achieved acceptable but mediocre fit. Scores on the two-factor DMS model had adequate internal consistency and demonstrated acceptable convergent validity (significant correlations with self-esteem, body appreciation, and muscle discrepancy). These results provide support for a two-factor model of DMS scores in a Romanian-speaking sample and extends the availability of the DMS to a rarely-examined linguistic group.

Adaptation and validation of a short French version of the Drive for Muscularity Scale in male athletes (DMS-FR)

The purpose of this paper was to adapt and examine the psychometric properties of a French-language Drive for Muscularity Scale (DMS). First, a preliminary version of the scale, based on both the English-language version of the DMS and the literature on the drive for muscularity, was developed following a committee validation process. Second, the factor structure of the DMS-FR was investigated with principal component analysis (PCA) in a sample of 114 male athletes (Mage = 23.35; SDage = 4.93), leading to a nine-item scale (Study 1). Third, in Study 2, the internal factor structure, temporal stability, and concurrent validity were examined through a series of structural hypothetical modelisation in a sample of 129 male athletes (Mage = 27.03; SDage = 7.81). The results indicated that the scale has good psychometric properties. Specifically, the PCA, and the series of structural hypothetical modelisation, suggested two theoretical factors (i.e., Muscularity Body Dissatisfaction and Muscularity Behaviors), and more, with a bi-factor model in a SEM. The results also indicated sufficient concurrent validity with the Male Body Dissatisfaction Scale (MBDS) and adequate internal consistency (Cronbach’s alphas were .87 for the Muscularity Body Dissatisfaction subscale, and .88 for the Muscularity Behaviors subscale). The findings overall suggest good reliability and construct validity for this French version of the DMS (DMS-FR), which will be useful for future research and clinical practice in French-speaking countries.