Body image concerns are prevalent among adolescents globally, including in urban and semi-rural India. These concerns have the potential to hinder adolescents' participation in everyday activities, thereby obstructing both social and academic development. In semi-rural India, where opportunities are constrained by limited resources, the impact of these concerns can be particularly detrimental. Given the scarcity of psychometrically valid measures to evaluate the impact of these concerns specifically within the semi-rural Indian context, this study aimed to culturally adapt and validate the Body Image Life Disengagement Questionnaire (BILD-Q) for use in Hindi among adolescents in semi-rural India. A total of 960 adolescents completed the Hindi version of the BILD-Q, alongside supplementary measures related to body image. Through exploratory factor analysis, a singular dimension of body image life disengagement emerged as the most fitting. The 9-item one-factor model gained further support through confirmatory factor analysis. The scale demonstrated robust internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Analysis confirmed the scale's ability to compare scores between boys and girls without measurement bias. This study introduces a culturally adapted version of the BILD-Q as a valid and reliable measure for assessing the impact of body image concerns on life disengagement among Hindi-speaking adolescents in semi-rural India.
Keywords: Adolescents; Body image; Culture; Life engagement; Psychometric evaluation; Scale validation; Semi-rural India.
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