The Italian version of Body Image Scale Reliability and Sensitivity in a sample of breast cancer patients
Simone Cheli, Antonella Agostini, Andrea Herd-Smith, Lucia Caligiani, Francesca Martella, Luisa Fioretto
The aim of this study was to evaluate reliability and sensitivity in the Italian version of Body Image
Scale in a sample of women with breast cancer. The participants consisted of 219 postoperative breast
cancer patients. We estimated internal consistency using Cronbach’s α and split-half technique.
Test-criterion validity was evaluated through ANOVA and Cluster Analysis. A Receiver-Operating-
Characteristics analysis was performed in order to test the sensitivity in detecting psychological
distress. The Italian version of Body Image Scale revealed adequate internal consistency and confirmed
the original unidimensional structure. Significant differences were found between women who had
undergone a mastectomy and those who had undergone conserving surgery. A cut-off of 11, the sample
mean, was associated with 75% sensitivity and 60% specificity in detecting psychological distress. The
Italian Body Image Scale proved to be a reliable tool in detecting distress in breast cancer patients who
have undergone surgery.
Keywords
Body Image Scale, Body Image, Breast Cancer, Psychological Distress,
Assessment.
