Sources of perceived sociocultural pressure on physical self-concept.

BACKGROUND The aim of this study is to analyze the four-factor structure (advertising, information, family environment and friendship setting) of the Cuestionario de Influjos Socioculturales sobre el Autoconcepto Físico (CIAF) [Sociocultural Influences on Physical Self-concept Questionnaire] and its invariance in relation to sex, age and physical activity. METHOD Participants were 579 students (339 men and 240 women) aged between 12 and 23, divided into three groups (137 under 14 years, 338 aged between 15 and 18 and 104 over 18 years). All completed the CIAF. RESULTS Both the confirmatory factor analyses and the factor invariance tests support the four-factor structure of the CIAF and, therefore, the identification of four different types of sociocultural perceived influence. CONCLUSIONS These results allow us to apply the abundant data found by previous studies on sociocultural pressure on body image to our understanding of physical self-concept.