Psychometric Evaluation of the Persian Version of Body Image Coping Strategies Inventory

Background: Coping strategies are one of the key elements of mental health and have a significant relationship with mental health. Cash developed the body image coping strategies inventory (BICSI) to evaluate how individuals cope with threats or challenges about their body image. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine the factor structure of the BICSI among Iranian female adolescents. Methods: Participants were 537 high school students from Karaj, Iran, who volunteered for participating in this study. In order to achieve the aim of the study (factorial validity), the study population (n = 537 participants) was split into two subsamples randomly. The subsamples were processed by the randomization function on SPSS (V. 22). AMOS Graphic (V. 20) software was used in order to examine the factorial validity of three BICSI factors. Results: The Persian version of BICSI met all the requirements for confirming the quality of measurement. In addition, the factorability of constructs in the scale was confirmed as the results of confirmatory factor analysis showed good model fit indices (P ≤ 0.05). Cronbach’s alpha as an internal consistency indicator was above 0.8 for all three subscales. Conclusions: Based on the results of this study, the Persian version of BICSI was validated among Iranian adolescents.