Assessing the cross-cultural relevance of social media appearance concerns: A culturally adapted validation of the SMAPS

This study validated the Italian version of the Social Media Appearance Preoccupation Scale (SMAPS) across two independent online samples. The study also aimed to examine the SMAPS in a cultural context different from the one in which the scale was originally developed, exploring whether patterns of social media appearance concerns observed in Italy may be informative for other Mediterranean and non-Anglophone contexts. Study 1 (N = 213) conducted an exploratory factor analysis (KMO = .88; Bartlett’s p < .001), identifying a three-factor structure—Appearance Comparison, Online Self-Presentation, and Appearance-Related Activity—that explained 64.4% of the variance. Internal consistency was satisfactory across subscales (α range = .87–.88). Study 2 (N = 432) confirmed this structure through confirmatory factor analysis, yielding acceptable to excellent fit indices: χ²(101) = 433.80, CFI = .96, RMSEA = .068 (90% CI [.049, .076]). Reliability coefficients remained high (α range = .84–.91). All SMAPS subscales showed significant positive correlations with appearance anxiety (r range = .62–.73, all ps < .001), fear of negative evaluation (r range = .43–.59, ps < .001), and sociocultural attitudes toward appearance (r range = .43–.60, ps < .001), supporting convergent validity. Negative correlations with psychological well-being (r range = –.46 to –.52, ps < .001) supported divergent validity. Hierarchical regressions indicated that SMAPS subscales significantly predicted appearance anxiety (ΔR² range = .15–.36) and sociocultural attitudes toward appearance (ΔR² range = .11–.40). Overall, these findings support the Italian SMAPS as a reliable and culturally sensitive measure, highlighting its relevance for understanding social media appearance concerns in Italy and suggesting its potential usefulness for informing future research in Mediterranean and other non-Anglophone contexts.