Tactile Biography Questionnaire: A contribution to its validation in an Italian sample

Abstract

As the interest in the beneficial effects of positive touch experiences is rapidly growing, having reliable and valid tools to its assessment is essential. The Tactile Biography Questionnaire (TBQ) allows to quantify individual differences in affective touch experiences throughout life. The aim of this article is to present a contribution to its validation in the Italian population. Data analysis were run on a sample of 2040 Italian individuals (Females = 1342, 64%) participating in an on-line survey. Confirmatory Factor Analysis and invariance analyses for gender were applied. Concurrent validity was checked using two specific subscales of the Touch Avoidance Questionnaire (TAQ—i.e., Family and Stranger). The four-dimensional structure of the TBQ was confirmed in the overall sample and by gender. Also, the TBQ showed an excellent internal consistency and a good concurrent validity with TAQ. The present study suggests that the TBQ can be used to support healthcare professionals and researchers to assess experiences of affective touch in different settings.

Stroking in early mother-infant exchanges: The role of maternal tactile biography and interoceptive sensibility

“…Our findings suggest that mothers’ past positive touch experiences influence their use of stroking supporting the first hypothesis, namely mothers experiencing a greater positive touch experience throughout childhood showed an increased use of caress-like touch with their infants. This is in line with previous studies suggesting that mother’s feelings regarding her own history of touch interacts with her current use of touch in mother-infant exchanges, which in turn might influence the infant’s attachment security [ 23 ], [ 39 ]). We hypothesize that mothers with high exposure to touch in their own childhood may perceive touch as an important channel for interpersonal affective exchanges.…”

“…Recommended cut-off points are reported in S1 Maternal tactile biography. Maternal tactile biography was assessed using the Italian version of the TBQ [39]. The TBQ [21] is made of 28 items rated on a 5-point Likert scale (ranging from 1 Never to 5 Very frequently) grouped into 4 components namely; Childhood/ Adolescent Touch Experience, Comfort with Interpersonal Touch; Fondness for Interpersonal Touch, Adult Touch Experience.…”

“…current use of touch in mother-infant exchanges, which in turn might influence the infant's attachment security [23], [39]). We hypothesize that mothers with high exposure to touch in their own childhood may perceive touch as an important channel for interpersonal affective exchanges.…”