Identification of the underlying factor structure of the Derriford Appearance Scale 24
- Published
- Accepted
- Subject Areas
- Psychiatry and Psychology, Statistics
- Keywords
- Self-consciousness, sexual self-consciousness, body, appearance, DAS24, Derriford, visible difference
- Copyright
- © 2014 Moss et al.
- Licence
- This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, reproduction and adaptation in any medium and for any purpose provided that it is properly attributed. For attribution, the original author(s), title, publication source (PeerJ PrePrints) and either DOI or URL of the article must be cited.
- Cite this article
- 2014. Identification of the underlying factor structure of the Derriford Appearance Scale 24. PeerJ PrePrints 2:e605v1 https://doi.org/10.7287/peerj.preprints.605v1
Abstract
Background. The Derriford Appearance Scale24 (DAS24) is a widely used measure of distress and dysfunction in relation to self-consciousness of appearance. It has been used in clinical and research settings, and translated into numerous European and Asian languages. Hitherto, no study has conducted an analysis to determine the underlying factor structure of the scale. Methods. A large (n=1265) sample of community and hospital patients with a visible difference were recruited face to face or by post, and completed the DAS24. Results. A two factor solution was found to be the best fit to the data. A main factor, general self consciousness (GSC), was represented by 18 items. Six items comprised a second factor, sexual and body self-consciousness (SBSC). The SBSC scale demonstrated greater sensitivity and specificity in identifying distress for sexually significant areas of the body. Discussion. The factor structure of the DAS24 facilitates a more nuanced interpretation of scores using this scale. Two conceptually and statistically coherent sub-scales were identified. The SBSC subscale offers a means of identifying distress and dysfunction around sexually significant areas of the body not previously possible with this scale.
Author Comment
This paper is intended for subsequent submission to PeerJ for review. The Appearance Research Collaboration comprises the following individuals in addition to the main authors of the paper: Professor Nichola Rumsey is the designated contact with authority to represent the group. Nichola Rumsey, James Byron-Daniel, Rodger Charlton, Alex Clarke, Sally-Ann Clarke, Diana Harcourt, Hayley McBain, Elizabeth Jenkinson, Antje Lindenmeyer, Rob Newell, Stanton Newman, Krysia Saul, Andrew Thompson, and Eleanor Walsh.