Physical Appearance Perfectionism Scale (PAPS)

doi:10.1017/9781009398275.111

Chapter 110 - Physical Appearance Perfectionism Scale (PAPS)

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 21 November 2025

Hongfei Yang and

Joachim Stoeber

Edited by

Virginia Ramseyer Winter ,

Tracy L. Tylka and

Antoinette M. Landor

Show author details

Virginia Ramseyer Winter: Affiliation:
University of Minnesota
Tracy L. Tylka: Affiliation:
Ohio State University
Antoinette M. Landor: Affiliation:
University of Missouri

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Summary

The 12-item Physical Appearance Perfectionism Scale (PAPS; Yang & Stoeber, 2012) assesses a person’s concerns about and hopes for a perfect physical appearance. The PAPS can be administered online or in-person to adolescents and adults and is free to use. This chapter first discusses the development of the PAPS and then provides evidence of its psychometrics. More specifically, the PAPS has been found to have a 2-factor structure (Worry About Imperfection, Hope For Perfection) within exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, and evidence has supported its invariance across gender. Internal consistency reliability, test-retest reliability, convergent validity, and discriminant validity support the use of the PAPS. Next, this chapter provides the PAPS items in their entirety, instructions for administering the PAPS to participants, item response scale, and scoring procedure. Links to known translations are provided. Logistics of use, such as permissions, copyright, and contact information, are provided for readers.

Keywords

Physical Appearance Perfectionism Scale PAPS items appearance body attitudes social anxiety worry about imperfection hope for perfection scale development psychometric evidence factor structure reliability validity administration scoring available translations

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Type: Chapter
Information: Handbook of Body Image-Related Measures , pp. 326 - 327

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009398275.111 [Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2025

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References

Brislin, R. W. (1970). Back-translation for cross-cultural research. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 1(3), 185–216. https://doi.org/10.1177/135910457000100301.CrossRef Google Scholar

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Swami, V., & Barron, D. (2019). Translation and validation of body image instruments: Challenges, good practice guidelines, and reporting recommendations for test adaptation. Body Image, 31, 204–220. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2018.08.014.CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Swami, V., Todd, J., & Barron, D. (2021). Translation and validation of body image instruments: An addendum to Swami and Barron (2019) in the form of frequently asked questions. Body Image, 37, 214–224. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2021.03.002.CrossRef Google Scholar PubMed

Yang, H., & Stoeber, J. (2012). The Physical Appearance Perfectionism Scale (PAPS): Development and preliminary validation. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 34(1), 69–83. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10862-011-9260-7.CrossRef Google Scholar

Yang, H., Yang, Y., Xu, L., Wu, Q., Xu, J., Weng, E., Wang, K., & Cai, S. (2017). The relation of physical appearance perfectionism with body dissatisfaction among school students 9–18 years of age. Personality and Individual Differences, 116, 399–404. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2017.05.005.CrossRef Google Scholar

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