Factor structure and psychometric properties of the Body Perception Questionnaire-Short Form (BPQ-SF); The Persian...

Area of Science:

• Psychometrics
• Body Perception Research
• Mental Health Assessment

Background:

• Body perception is a key indicator in physical and mental health disorders.
• Quantifying body perception requires validated instruments.
• A Persian version of the Body Perception Questionnaire-Short Form (BPQ-SF) was lacking.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the factorial structure, reliability, and validity of the BPQ-SF in Iranian adults.
• To establish a culturally adapted and psychometrically sound measure of body perception.
• To provide a tool for research and clinical practice concerning body perception in Iran.

Main Methods:

• Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to determine the factorial structure.
• Concurrent validity was assessed using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS) and the somatization subscale of the Symptom-Checklist-90 (SOM).
• Internal consistency was evaluated using Cronbach's alpha and McDonald's omega, alongside composite reliability.

Main Results:

• CFA confirmed a three-factor structure: Body Awareness, Subdiaphragmatic Reactivity, and Supradiaphragmatic Reactivity.
• The BPQ-SF demonstrated high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.94).
• Concurrent validity was strong, with correlations ranging from 0.44 to 0.94 with the DASS and SOM.

Conclusions:

• The Persian version of the BPQ-SF exhibits favorable psychometric properties.
• The BPQ-SF is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing body perception in Iranian adults.
• This validated tool can be utilized in clinical and research settings within Iran.