Translation and Initial Psychometric Evaluation of a Korean Version of the Modified Weight-Bias Internalization Scale (K-WBIS) in Korean Adult Women

Research has examined the negative consequences of internalized weight bias on mental health (e.g., disordered eating, depression, anxiety). In South Korea’s patriarchal society, appearance rather than ability or talent is considered the principal determinant of a woman’s success, as evidenced by high rates of cosmetic surgery and anti-fat bias. Given strict appearance norms and pervasive weight stigma, we developed a Korean version of the Modified Weight Bias Internalization Scale (K-WBIS), examined its psychometric properties, and explored its associations with other established measures. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to assess the factor structure. An item was removed, and a revised 10-item one-factor model was estimated. The final model demonstrated an acceptable incremental model fit indices (CFI = 0.934, TLI = 0.909, SRMR = 0.047), although RMSEA remained elevated (RMSEA = 0.163). The 10-item K-WBIS demonstrated promising psychometric properties in a sample of South Korean adult women. Findings provide preliminary support for the K-WBIS and warrant further evaluation in larger and more diverse Korean-speaking populations.