VISCERAL SENSITIVITY INDEX (VSI-IT): Italian Adaptation and Validation

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology and Psychology
• Psychometrics and Clinical Assessment

Background:

• The Visceral Sensitivity Index (VSI) is crucial for assessing gastrointestinal anxiety in Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) patients.
• No Italian version of the VSI was available for the Italian-speaking population, limiting its use in clinical and research settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To translate and validate the Visceral Sensitivity Index (VSI) into Italian.
• To assess the psychometric properties, reliability, and validity of the Italian VSI in a diverse sample.

Main Methods:

• A national sample of 500 individuals, including patients with Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, IBS, and healthy controls, participated.
• The study employed back-translation methodology for accurate translation and administered questionnaires and the VSI online.
• Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was used to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Italian VSI.

Main Results:

• The Italian VSI demonstrated excellent psychometric properties, including high internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.949) and construct validity.
• The scale was sensitive in detecting significant differences in visceral sensitivity across patient groups and healthy controls.
• A strong correlation was observed between the Italian VSI, interoceptive awareness, disease type, and gastrointestinal symptom severity.

Conclusions:

• The Italian VSI is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing gastrointestinal-specific anxiety in Italian-speaking populations with IBS and IBD.
• The validated Italian VSI is a valuable tool for both clinical practice and research, enhancing the understanding and management of these conditions in Italy.