Cosmetic Procedure Screening – COPS
A screening measure for Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) in cosmetic settings and a measure of BDD severity.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Cosmetic Procedure Screening – COPS was developed by D. Veale, N. Ellison, T. G. Werner, R. Dodhia, M. Serfaty & A. Clarke (2011). It is designed to measure Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) screening and severity. The scale is intended for use with Adults seeking cosmetic procedures.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 9 items.
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 0 = 0, 1 = 1, 2 = 2, 3 = 3, 4 = 4, 5 = 5, 6 = 6, 7 = 7, 8 = 8.
The scale includes 3 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
Scoring
Items are summed to produce a total score.
Total scores range from 0 to 72. Interpretation guidelines:
- Below clinical threshold: 0 – 39
- Likelihood of BDD diagnosis (referral recommended): 40 – 72
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Not specified in source text.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 5 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.