The intellectual disability version of the very short form of the physical self-inventory (PSI-VS-ID): cross-validation and measurement invariance across gender, weight, age and intellectual disability level.
A six-question body-image survey works the same for all youth with ID, so you can screen physical self-concept in under two minutes.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Maïano et al. (2011) tested a six-question body-image survey made for people with intellectual disability.
They gave the survey to 248 teens and young adults with ID.
The team ran math checks to see if the survey meant the same thing for boys and girls, heavier and lighter bodies, younger and older youth, and mild vs. moderate ID.
What they found
The short survey held one clear factor: physical self-concept.
Scores stayed steady across all groups, so the tool is fair for quick screen use.
How this fits with other research
MacLean et al. (2011) looked at the big WAIS IQ test in adults with ID and found the usual four-factor model did NOT fit.
That sounds like a clash, but the difference is the tool: a long IQ test fails, while this tiny body-image scale passes.
Pickard et al. (2022) later showed adults with ID can finish health surveys on a tablet when pictures and simple words are added.
Their work extends Christophe’s finding by proving good design lets clients answer without help.
Fujiura (2012) review backs both papers, saying self-report is valid in ID if you adapt the method.
Why it matters
You now have a two-minute, six-item tool that gives a reliable snapshot of how clients feel about their bodies.
Use it at intake, after fitness programs, or when weight changes occur.
Because the survey stays fair across gender, age, and ID level, you can track progress without switching measures.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Recently Maïano, Bégarie, Morin, and Ninot (2009) developed and validated an intellectual disability (ID) version of the very short form of the physical self-inventory (PSI-VS-ID). In a recent review of the various physical self-concept instruments Marsh and Cheng (in press) noted that the short and very short versions of the French PSI represent an important contribution to applied research but that further research was needed to investigate the robustness of their psychometric properties in new and diversified samples. Thus, this study is specifically designed to investigate the robustness of the PSI-VS-ID psychometric properties in a new independent sample of 248 adolescents and young adults with ID. In particular, tests of measurement invariance were conducted across the present sample and the original sample from Maïano et al. (2009) study in order to more precisely assess the degree of replication of the results. Overall, results from a series of confirmatory factor analyses of the PSI-VS-ID provided support for its: (i) factorial validity and reliability; (ii) factorial invariance across gender and weight status; (iii) partial (strict or strong) factorial invariance across age, ID level and samples; and (iv) latent mean differences across gender, weight status and ID level groups.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2011 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2011.02.019