Bodily Threat Monitoring Scale (BTMS)

Abstract

The Bodily Threat Monitoring Scale (BTMS; Heathcote et al., 2023) was developed to assess how individuals monitor for and interpret uncertain symptoms as indicating that something is wrong with their body. An initial pool of items was created by compiling and amending content from existing questionnaires and through feedback from an expert panel. After finalization, the resulting 19-item BTMS was evaluated in samples comprised of adult survivors of breast and gynecological cancers, as well as childhood cancer survivors. Factor analysis, reliability, and validity results were reported for these items.

Keywords

Bodily Monitoring, Bodily Threat Appraisals, Bodily Threat Monitoring, Fear of Cancer Recurrence

Authors

Heathcote, Lauren C.; Webster, Sarah N.; Loecher, Nele; Spunt, Sheri L.; Simon, Pamela; Pradhan, Poorva; Coutts‐Bain, Daelin; Sharpe, Louise; Tutelman, Perri R.; Simons, Laura E.

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Purpose

The purpose of this scale is to measure bodily threat monitoring, a core clinical feature of fear of cancer recurrence (FCR).

Validity

Construct Validity: The BTMS correlated with body vigilance and anxiety sensitivity.
Criterion Validity: The BTMS also demonstrated criterion validity, yielding significant associations with FCR, intolerance of uncertainty, help‐seeking behaviours, and quality of life. The BTMS was associated with FCR while controlling for body vigilance and anxiety sensitivity, indicating a unique contribution of this theory‐informed measure.

Reliability

Internal Consistency: The BTMS demonstrated excellent internal consistency across adult and childhood cancer samples (α = 0.90–0.96).
Test-Retest Reliability: There was a significant correlation between BTMS total scores, and subscales, at baseline and 2 weeks later. There were no significant differences in BTMS total scores (t (60) = −1.33, p = 0.19) or subscales (bodily monitoring: t (58) = −1.17, p = 0.25; bodily threat appraisals: t (60) = −1.21, p = 0.23) across these two timepoints.

Factor Analysis

Exploratory Factor Analysis: After item deletion, three factors were indicated (Eigenvalues >1); however, the third factor had no unique items. A forced two‐factor solution showed a good fit to the data, explaining 65.5% of the variance and with factor loadings >0.5.
Subscales: The BTMS comprises two subscales: Bodily monitoring and Bodily threat appraisals.

Instrument: Bodily Threat Monitoring Scale (BTMS)

Test Type: Original Inventory/Questionnaire.
Format: Items are rated on a 5-point Likert scale: 0=Not at all like me, 1=A little bit like me, 2=Moderately like me, 3=Very like me, and 4=Entirely like me.
Language Available: English.
Population Group: Human (Male and Female).
Age Group: Childhood (birth-12 yrs), School Age (6-12 yrs), Adolescence (13-17 yrs), Adulthood (18 yrs & older), Young Adulthood (18-29 yrs), Thirties (30-39 yrs), Middle Age (40-64 yrs), Aged (65 yrs & older).
Population Details: The scale has been evaluated in adult survivors of breast and gynecological cancers (Age = 37–81 Years) and childhood cancer survivors (Age = 10–25 Years) from Australia, Canada, and the United States.
Test Methodology: Test Validity, Construct Validity, Criterion Validity, Test Reliability, Internal Consistency, Test-Retest Reliability, Factor Analysis, Exploratory Factor Analysis.

Keywords

Body Awareness, Illness Behavior, Neoplasms, Physical Illness (Attitudes Toward), Self-Monitoring, Health Behavior Measures, Health Anxiety.

Authors

Author OCRID Identifier:

• Heathcote, Lauren C.: orcid.org/0000-0003-2515-3102

• Sharpe, Louise: orcid.org/0000-0002-8790-6272

Affiliation and Email addresses:

• Heathcote, Lauren C.: Health Psychology Section, Department of Psychology Institute of Psychiatry Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London. Email: [email protected]

• Webster, Sarah N.: Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine Stanford University School of Medicine. No data is Available

• Loecher, Nele: Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences St Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. No data is Available

• Spunt, Sheri L.: Department of Pediatric Oncology Stanford University School of Medicine. No data is Available

• Simon, Pamela: Department of Pediatric Oncology Stanford University School of Medicine. No data is Available

• Pradhan, Poorva: School of Psychology, University of Sydney. No data is Available

• Coutts‐Bain, Daelin: School of Psychology, University of Sydney. No data is Available

• Sharpe, Louise: School of Psychology, University of Sydney. No data is Available

• Tutelman, Perri R.: Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Dalhousie University. No data is Available

• Simons, Laura E.: Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine Stanford University School of Medicine. No data is Available

Correspondence Address:
Heathcote, Lauren C.: Guy’s Hospital, 5th Floor Bermondsey Wing, Great Maze Pond, London, London, City of, United Kingdom, SE19RT, [email protected]

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

Permissions: May use for Research/Teaching.
Fee: No
Test Year: 2023
Web Site: creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en
Commercial Use: No

References

Heathcote, L. C., Webster, S. N., Loecher, N., Spunt, S. L., Simon, P., Pradhan, P., Coutts‐Bain, D., Sharpe, L., Tutelman, P. R., & Simons, L. E. (2023). The Bodily Threat Monitoring Scale: Development and preliminary validation in adult and childhood cancer survivors. Psycho-Oncology, 32(12), 1885–1894. doi.org/10.1002/pon.6236

Items of the Bodily Threat Monitoring Scale (BTMS)

This is a 19-item scale. The test items are available in the Supplemental Material of the source reference (Pages 2-3).

Bodily Threat Monitoring Scale (BTMS)

We are interested in how you think and feel about your body and the sensations inside your body. Bodily sensations include things like aches and pains, discomfort, feeling sick, feeling itchy, feeling tired, feeling hot, and feeling dizzy. These are just some examples; there are many others.

When you answer the questions below, think about the bodily sensations that are most relevant for you. For each question, choose the number that shows how much each statement is like you.