Cross-sectional validation shows high reliability and validity for the Japanese Appearance Anxiety Inventory, highlighting core avoidance and camouflaging behaviors.
Key Points
To develop and evaluate the psychometric properties of the Japanese version of the Appearance Anxiety Inventory (J-AAI) and examine the network structure of body dysmorphic symptoms.
Administered an online survey measuring appearance anxiety (J-AAI), dysmorphic concerns, social anxiety, and depression to 898 Japanese participants (457 with self-reported psychiatric disorders, 441 without).
Evaluated construct validity via confirmatory factor analysis and exploratory graph analysis, internal consistency via Cronbach's α and McDonald's ω, and structural stability via network comparison tests.
Factor analyses supported a single-factor structure across both cohorts, demonstrating strong internal consistency (psychiatric group: α = .91, ω = .93; non-psychiatric group: α = .90, ω = .91).
J-AAI scores correlated strongly with dysmorphic concerns and moderately with social anxiety and depressive symptoms.
Network analysis identified 'camouflaging/altering appearance,' 'thinking about camouflaging,' and 'avoidance' as high-centrality symptoms, with no significant differences in global network structure between groups.