Body image and quality of life in a Spanish population

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of the current study was to analyze the psychometric properties, factor structure, and internal consistency of the Spanish version of the Body Image Quality of Life Inventory (BIQLI-SP) as well as its test–retest reliability. Further objectives were to analyze different relationships with key dimensions of psychosocial functioning (ie, self-esteem, presence of psychopathological symptoms, eating and body image-related problems, and perceived stress) and to evaluate differences in body image quality of life due to gender.

Patients and methods

The sample comprised 417 students without any psychiatric history, recruited from the Pablo de Olavide University and the University of Seville. There were 140 men (33.57%) and 277 women (66.43%), and the mean age was 21.62 years (standard deviation = 5.12). After obtaining informed consent from all participants, the following questionnaires were administered: BIQLI, Eating Disorder Inventory-2 (EDI-2), Perceived Stress Questionnaire (PSQ), Self-Esteem Scale (SES), and Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R).

Results

The BIQLI-SP shows adequate psychometric properties, and it may be useful to determine the body image quality of life in different physical conditions. A more positive body image quality of life is associated with better self-esteem, better psychological wellbeing, and fewer eating-related dysfunctional attitudes, this being more evident among women.

Conclusion

The BIQLI-SP may be useful to determine the body image quality of life in different contexts with regard to dermatology, cosmetic and reconstructive surgery, and endocrinology, among others. In these fields of study, a new trend has emerged to assess body image-related quality of life.

Keywords:

• body appreciation
• wellbeing
• self-esteem
• social functioning
• gender differences

Acknowledgment

We acknowledge the support of the EDUBSI (Eating Disorders Unit of the Behavioural Sciences Institute), which supported the preparation of this manuscript.

Disclosure

The authors state that there are no conflicts of interest. This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or nonprofit sectors.

We hereby state that it is an original publication, and the manuscript has not been previously submitted or published elsewhere. IJL carried out the literature research and wrote the manuscript, and PBR provided critical input and corrections for the outline and writing of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.