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Chapter 119 - Social Media Appearance Preoccupation Scale (SMAPS)

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By
Melanie J. Zimmer-Gembeck
Edited by
Virginia Ramseyer Winter ,
Tracy L. Tylka  and
Antoinette M. Landor
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 18-item Social Media Appearance Preoccupation Scale (SMAPS) has three subscales that measure social comparison (6 items), self-presentation (7 items), and general activity (5 items) related to appearance when engaging in visual online content, especially using social media. The subscales can form a total score or be used to focus on one or more of the three subscales of online appearance preoccupation, which allows for a shorter measure. The SMAPS was designed with five issues in mind: 1) image sharing activity, 2) investment and self-presentation, 3) social comparison, 4) active versus passive social media use, and 5) negative responses to social media. The SMAPS can be administered online or in-person and has been included in research with adolescents and young adults. The SMAPS is free to use. This chapter begins with a discussion of the development of the SMAPS from item generation to psychometric analyses, which is followed by sections with psychometric information, including the factor structure and invariance, and evidence of reliability and validity. Additional sections cover administration and scoring, the response scale, the items in their entirety, instructions for administration and scoring, and permissions, copyright and contact information are provided.

Keywords

Social Media Appearance Preoccupation ScaleSMAPSappearance concernsbody imagesocial mediaappearance-related social comparisonself-presentationappearance anxietyscale developmentfactor structurereliabilityvalidityadministration

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Chapter
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Handbook of Body Image-Related Measures , pp. 352 - 354
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2025

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References

Choukas-Bradley, S., Nesi, J., Widman, L., & Higgins, M. K. (2019). Camera-ready: Young women’s appearance-related social media consciousness. Psychology of Popular Media Culture, 8, 473–481. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000196.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
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Holland, G., & Tiggemann, M. (2017). “Strong beats skinny every time”: Disordered eating and compulsive exercise in women who post fitspiration on Instagram. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 50, 76–79. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/eat.22559.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Webb, H., & Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J. (2014). The role of friends and peers in adolescent body dissatisfaction: A review and critique of 15 years of research, Journal of Research on Adolescence, 24, 564–590. http://doi.org/10.1111/jora.1208.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Webb, H. J., Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J., Farrell, L., Waters, A., Nesdale, D., & Downey, G. (2017) “Pretty pressure” from peers, parents, and the media: A longitudinal study of appearance-based rejection sensitivity. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 27, 718–735. https://doi.org/10.1111/jora.12310.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J., Hawes, T., & Pariz, J. (2021). A closer look at appearance and social media: Measuring activity, self-presentation, and social comparison and their associations with emotional adjustment. Psychology of Popular Media, 10(1), 74–86. https://doi.org/.1037/ppm0000277.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zimmer-Gembeck, M. J., Webb, H. J., Farrell, L. J., & Waters, A. M. (2018). Girls’ and boys’ trajectories of appearance anxiety from age 10 to 15 years are associated with earlier maturation and appearance-related teasing. Development and Psychopathology, 30, 337–350. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0954579417000657.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed

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