Psychometric properties of the German version of the Self Image Scale (SIS-D) in a sample of cancer patients

Background A cancer disease can affect the satisfaction with the physical appearance, so that the standardized assessment of the body image is important in cancer patients. The German version of the Self-Image Scale is a self-report measure that uses two subscales to assess appearance satisfaction (self-acceptance) and perceptions of partners' acceptance of their appearance (partner-acceptance). The present study aimed to validate the Self-Image Scale's two-factor structure in a sample of cancer patients with a variety of different diagnoses to further increase its utility. Methods Confirmatory factor analysis methods were used to examine the two-factor model in a sample of cancer patients (N= 278). Scale reliability and validity were then assessed through internal consistency measures and correlations with external criteria such as depressiveness, anxiety, distress, and relationship satisfaction. Results The proposed factor structure was supported by the results and the internal consistencies were good with alpha = .83 for the self-acceptance scale and alpha = .88 for the partner-acceptance scale while additional correlations with external criteria were observed as expected. Conclusions The results support the use of the German version of the Self-Image Scale in cancer patients in general. Future research directions include validation across further entities of cancer, the in-depth investigation of sex differences, and research in other diseases that might impact body image.