Bodily Threat Monitoring Scale – BTMS
Measures bodily threat monitoring, assessing how individuals monitor for and interpret uncertain symptoms as indicating that something is wrong with their body.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Bodily Threat Monitoring Scale – BTMS was developed by Lauren C. Heathcote, Sarah N. Webster, Nele Loecher, Sheri L. Spunt, Pamela Simon, Poorva Pradhan, Daelin Coutts-Bain, Louise Sharpe, Perri R. Tutelman, Laura E. Simons (2023). It is designed to measure Bodily threat monitoring. The scale is intended for use with Cancer survivors (adult and childhood).
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 19 items organized into 2 factors/subscales: Bodily monitoring, Bodily threat appraisals.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Bodily monitoring | 1,5,10,14,17 | 5 |
| Bodily threat appraisals | 2,3,4,6,7,8,9,11,12,13,15,16,18,19 | 14 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 0 = Not at all like me, 1 = A little bit like me, 2 = Moderately like me, 3 = Very like me, 4 = Entirely like me.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 0 to 76. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low bodily threat monitoring: 0 – 19
- Moderate bodily threat monitoring: 20 – 38
- High bodily threat monitoring: 39 – 57
- Very high bodily threat monitoring: 58 – 76
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of 0.90-0.96.
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.