Development and validation of the brief‐satisfaction with appearance scale for systemic sclerosis

Abstract

Objective. Body image concerns are understudied in systemic sclerosis (SSc; scleroderma). The objective was to develop and cross-validate a brief version of the Satisfaction with Appearance Scale (SWAP) in order to reduce item redundancy, increase SSc relevancy, and improve the feasibility of body image assessment in SSc. Methods. Female patients with SSc in a development sample (Johns Hopkins Scleroderma Center) and a validation sample (Canadian Scleroderma Research Group Registry) completed the 14-item SWAP. Items for the 6-item Brief-SWAP were selected based on theoretical considerations and psychometric data from the development sample. In both samples, internal consistency reliability, convergent validity, and the hypothesized 2-factor structure (perceived social impact and subjective dissatisfaction) were compared between the Brief-SWAP and SWAP.

The validity and reliability of the Swedish version of the Satisfaction with appearance scale for individuals with systemic sclerosis

“…Furthermore, counter to our expectation we found a 'moderate' correlation instead of a 'weak' correlation between the SWAP-Swe in SSc and pain/bodily pain. This discrepancy between our results and results from previous studies might be explained by differences in samples, 9 pain outcome measures 7,8 and analysis method. 8,9 Higher correlations ('moderate') than postulated were found between the SWAP-Swe in SSc and disease interference of daily activities of gastrointestinal symptoms and overall disease severity in our study.…”

“…This discrepancy between our results and results from previous studies might be explained by differences in samples, 9 pain outcome measures 7,8 and analysis method. 8,9 Higher correlations (‘moderate’) than postulated were found between the SWAP-Swe in SSc and disease interference of daily activities of gastrointestinal symptoms and overall disease severity in our study. Although gastrointestinal symptoms are a common problem in SSc, 33 appearance concerns might influence how the person experiences their disease severity and vice versa.…”

“…Internal consistency showed Cronbach’s alpha coefficients that were ‘sufficient’ 25 for the SWAP-Swe in SSc findings that are in agreement with previous reports 8,9,11 and corrected item-to-total correlations supported ‘good’ internal consistency. 26 The test–retest reliability for the total score and subscales showed no significant difference between the test occasions.…”

The Impact of Systemic Sclerosis on Sexual Health: An Italian Survey

“…Moreover, even sexual desire, the only item that can be considered separate from the FSFI total score, was highly impacted with a mean of 2.23, far lower than the general cut-off of 5.00. In our analysis, the sexual dysfunction rate was higher than other rates reported in previous studies, while the intensity of sexual impairment evaluated with the FSFI total score was in line with the literature [20][21][22].…”

Evaluation of the Satisfaction with Appearance Scale and Its Short Form in Systemic Sclerosis: Analysis from the UCLA Scleroderma Quality of Life Study

“…Total scores on the SWAP and Brief-SWAP were similar to those reported for other SSc samples (10, 12, 13). In addition, replicating previous studies (10, 12), mean SWAP total scores were higher than those from the original sample of hospitalized burn-injury patients (8). …”