Validity of the Body Awareness Scale-Health (BAS-H)

Quality of movement assessment using the Body Awareness Scale-Health (BAS-H) was validated against the following self-rating tests: Nottingham Health Profile (NHP); Arthritis Self-Efficacy Scale (ASES); Psychological General Well-Being (PGWB); Sense of Coherence (SoC); Sivic Psychosomatism test (SPS); Symptom Check List 90-R (SCL 90-R); and Visual Analogue Scale for pain intensity (VAS-pain). In total, 75 persons were included, divided into three groups: psychiatric outpatients (n = 25), chronic pain patients (n = 25) and healthy controls (n = 25). The highest significant correlations were obtained between the BAS-H total index and the sub-indices of grounding/stability to the centre line, centering/breathing and flow on the one hand, and the NHP, the ASES, and the PGWB on the other, with r ranging from 0.36 to 0.73. Multiple regression analysis revealed the NHP to explain 50% and ASES a further 5% of the variance in the BAS-H total index. Significant differences for both the BAS-H total index and the sub-indices were obtained between the two patient groups and the healthy controls. It is concluded that the construct validity of the BAS-H was found to be in accordance with theoretical expectations.