The body appreciation Scale-2 for Autistic adults (BAS-2A): Psychometric properties in autistic gender diverse and transgender adults from four english-speaking, Western countries
This publication is included in the Autistic Autism Scholarship Project. one author of this publication is identified as autistic in the project.
About the autistic author markerLonghurst, P., White, L. C., & Swami, V. (2026). The body appreciation Scale-2 for Autistic adults (BAS-2A): Psychometric properties in autistic gender diverse and transgender adults from four english-speaking, Western countries. Body Image, 58, 102154. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2026.102154
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Authors
Abstract
The Body Appreciation Scale-2A (BAS-2A) is a measure for capturing a core facet of positive body image in the adult Autistic population. Preliminary evidence suggests body appreciation may foster physical and psychological well-being among Autistic people who are also transgender or gender diverse (TGD); however, to date, the scale has not been validated within this group. To address this, we evaluated the factor structure and psychometric properties of the BAS-2A in Autistic TGD people. A total of 191 Autistic TGD people (aged 18-85 years) from Western countries (i.e., Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States) completed the BAS-2A along with additional measures of physical well-being and eating disorder symptomatology. Confirmatory factor analysis supported a 12-item, unidimensional structure of the BAS-2A in the total sample. The BAS-2A also demonstrated excellent composite reliability. Evidence of convergent, concurrent, discriminant, and incremental validity was strong when using both observed and latent scores. Body appreciation was significantly associated with higher self-compassion, self-esteem, and quality of life, and lower eating disorder symptomatology. Overall, our results suggest that the BAS-2A is a valid and reliable measure for capturing body appreciation among Autistic TGD people. The present study offers a valuable contribution toward a better understanding of positive body image in the wider Autistic population.
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