Abstract
The purpose of this study was to cross-culturally adapt the Body Perception Questionnaire Short Form (BPQ-SF) into Italian and to assess its psychometric properties in a sample of Italian subjects. A forward-backward method was used for translation. 493 adults were recruited for psychometric analysis. Structural validity was assessed with confirmatory factor analysis and a hypothesis testing approach. Internal consistency was assessed by Cronbach's alpha and McDonald's omega. Measurement invariance analysis was applied with an age-matched American sample. The single-factor structure fit the awareness subscale (RMSEA = .036, CFI = .983, TLI = .982). Autonomic reactivity (ANSR) was well-described by supra- and sub-diaphragmatic subscales (RMSEA = .041, CFI = .984, TLI = .982). All subscales were positively correlated (r range: .50-.56) and had good internal consistency (McDonald's Omega range: .86-.92, Cronbach's alpha range: .88-.91). Measurement invariance analysis for the Awareness model showed significant results (p<0.001) in each step (weak, strong and strict) whereas the ANSR showed significant results (p<0.001) only for the strong and strict steps. Our results support the Italian version of the BPQ as having consistent psychometric properties in comparison with other languages.
Highlights
The central nervous system is continuously updating the status of bodily states and visceral organs
Our results support the Italian version of the Body Perception Questionnaire (BPQ) as having consistent psychometric properties in comparison with other languages
Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the single-factor structure fit the awareness subscale well (RMSEA = 0.036, Comparative Fit Index (CFI) = 0.983, Tucker-Lewis Index (TLI) = 0.982)
Summary
The central nervous system is continuously updating the status of bodily states and visceral organs. Research in the field of functional neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, and psychiatry has progressively uncovered the physiological and neural processes related to the subjective body experiences related to body awareness [2,3,4,5]. Interoception, the sense of the physiological condition of the body, is a neural process through which information from organs and tissues is transmitted to the brain, forming a neural pathway through which body awareness emerges. Consistent with an evolutionary perspective, interoception and ANS activity are crucial for preserving body homeostasis. Interoceptive and ANS central neural networks have been maintained and elaborated over the course of the evolutionary encephalization process, reaching higher-order cortical areas (e.g., anterior insula) where subjective or mental body awareness emerges. Mental awareness of body homeostasis improves homeostatic preservation controlling emotional behaviour and social communication [6]
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