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Chapter 99 - Negative Body Talk Scale (NBT)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 November 2025

By
Renee Engeln ,
Michael R. Sladek  and
Rachel H. Salk
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 13-item Negative Body Talk Scale (NBT scale; Engeln-Maddox et al., 2012) assesses women’s tendency to engage in negative, appearance-focused conversations about their body. The NBT scale can be administered online or in-person with adolescent and adult women and is free to use in any setting. This chapter first discusses the development of the NBT scale as well as the academic literature on the link between girls’ and women’s negative body talk and body satisfaction. Next, this chapter provides evidence of the psychometric properties of the NBT scale. Specifically, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses conducted with samples of young adult, undergraduate women suggest a correlated two-factor structure (body concerns and body comparisons) for scores on the scale. Analyses of NBT scores from a large sample of U.S. college women (ages 18-35) indicated scalar (i.e., strong) invariance across three ethnic groups (Asian, Latina, and White). Internal consistency reliability, test-retest reliability, convergent validity, discriminant validity, and incremental validity support the use of the NBT scale. This chapter provides the NBT scale items, instructions for administering the measure to participants, the item response scale, and the scoring procedure. Logistics of use, such as permissions, copyright, and citation information, are also provided for readers.

Keywords

Negative Body Talk ScaleNBT Scaleitemsfat talknegative body talkappearance comparisonscale developmentpsychometric evidencefactor structurereliabilityvalidityadministrationscoringTurkish translation of Negative Body Talk Scale

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Chapter
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Handbook of Body Image-Related Measures , pp. 297 - 298
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2025

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References

Arroyo, A., & Harwood, J. (2014). Theorizing fat talk: Intrapersonal, interpersonal, and intergroup communication about groups. Annals of the International Communication Association, 38(1), 175–205. https://doi.org/10.1080/23808985.2014.11679162.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Engeln, R., & Salk, R. H. (2016). The demographics of fat talk in adult women: Age, body size, and ethnicity. Journal of Health Psychology, 21(8), 1655–1664. https://doi.org/10.1177/1359105314560918.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Engeln-Maddox, R., Salk, R. H., & Miller, S. A. (2012). Assessing women’s negative commentary on their own bodies: A psychometric investigation of the Negative Body Talk Scale. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 36, 162–178. https://doi.org/10.1177/0361684312441593.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mills, J., & Fuller-Tyszkiewicz, M. (2016). Fat talk and its relationship with body image disturbance. Body Image, 18, 61–64. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2016.05.001.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Nichter, M., & Vuckovic, N. (1994). Fat talk. In Sault, N. (Ed.), Many Mirrors: Body Image and Social Relations (pp. 109–131). Rutgers University Press.Google Scholar
Salk, R. H., & Engeln-Maddox, R. (2011). “If you’re fat, then I’m humongous!” Frequency, content, and impact of fat talk among college women. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 35(1), 18–28. https://doi.org/10.1177/0361684310384107.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sharpe, H., Naumann, U., Treasure, J., & Schmidt, U. (2013). Is fat talking a causal risk factor for body dissatisfaction? A systematic review and meta‐analysis. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 46(7), 643–652. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.22151.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sladek, M. R., Engeln, R., & Miller, S. A. (2014). Development and validation of the Male Body Talk Scale: A psychometric investigation. Body Image, 11(3), 233–244. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2014.02.005.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sladek, M. R., Salk, R. H., & Engeln, R. (2018). Negative body talk measures for Asian, Latina (o), and White women and men: Measurement equivalence and associations with ethnic-racial identity. Body Image, 25, 66–77. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2018.02.005.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

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