Body image in cystic fibrosis--development of a brief diagnostic scale

J Behav Med. 2003 Feb;26(1):81-94. doi: 10.1023/a:1021799123288.

Abstract

For a number of reasons, body image is an important concept in behavioral medicine. First, it is known to be related to clinical phenomena such as poor self-esteem, depression, and anxiety. Second, body image has the potential to influence the patients' self-management and compliance motivation. Finally, body image can be improved through psychological and educative interventions. This study presents the development and validation of a brief, 8-item scale assessing attitudinal body image in patients with cystic fibrosis. A principal component analysis supported three domains represented by the items: evaluation/satisfaction, importance, and trust in physical functioning/health. The test-retest correlations ranged from 0.83 to 0.88, internal consistencies were above 0.70, except for the domain "importance" (alpha = 0.44). The scale scores differentiated between patients with mild and severe symptoms of the disease. Regression analyses identified body image as an important predictor of the patients' health-related quality of life. In summary, our results provide preliminary evidence for the reliability and construct, concurrent, and clinical validity of the instrument.

MeSH terms

  • Activities of Daily Living / psychology
  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Body Image*
  • Cystic Fibrosis / diagnosis
  • Cystic Fibrosis / psychology*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Motivation
  • Patient Compliance / psychology
  • Personality Inventory / statistics & numerical data*
  • Pneumonia, Bacterial / diagnosis
  • Pneumonia, Bacterial / psychology
  • Psychometrics / statistics & numerical data
  • Quality of Life / psychology
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Self-Assessment
  • Sick Role*