The Croatian version of the Body Image Scale: translation and validation

Aim To validate the Croatian translation of the Body Image Scale in breast cancer and chronic kidney disease patients. Methods The scale was administered to 172 breast cancer patients and to 89 chronic kidney disease patients. Measures of depression and anxiety were used to assess the convergent validity. Both groups were divided based on their treatment types. Results In both samples, the scale showed high internal consistency (Cronbach's Alpha 0.958 for breast cancer patients, 0.855 for chronic kidney disease patients) item-total correlations (0.72-0.88 for breast cancer patients, 0.46-0.65 for chronic kidney disease patients), and convergent validity. In the breast cancer group, the factor analysis showed a single-factor solution, while in the chronic kidney disease group it showed a two-factor solution. Good discriminant validity was obtained among breast cancer patients, with patients who underwent complete mastectomy scoring higher than patients who underwent partial mastectomy. The scale showed no discriminant validity among chronic kidney disease patients. Conclusion The Croatian BIS shows good psychometric properties.