How to assess appearance distress and motivation in plastic surgery candidates: Italian validation of Derriford Appearance Scale 59 (DAS 59)

A. Cogliandro, P. Persichetti, G. Ghilardi, T.P. Moss, M. Barone, G. Piccinocchi, G. Ricci, M. Vitali, A. Giuliani, V. Tambone

Unit of Plastic Surgery and Dermatology, Department of Medicine, Campus Bio-Medico University of Rome, Rome, Italy. a.cogliandro@unicampus.it

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• Plastic Surgery

OBJECTIVE: The Derriford Appearance Scale (DAS) 59 was specifically designed to measure psychosocial adjustment in patients with appearance problems. Previous studies using the DAS59 have proven it to be a reliable method of assessing the appearance-related quality of life after plastic surgery procedures. The aim of this study was to develop a valid and reliable Italian version of the DAS59.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: The first Italian translation of this questionnaire was conducted according to the DAS59 protocol that was designed by the original authors of the questionnaire. Eight hundred patients participated in this study and filled out three questionnaires (DAS59, General Health Questionnaire (GHQ)12 and Beck’s Depression Inventory (BDI)-II). There were 400 adult patients with a history of previous plastic surgeries and 400 adult patients without any personal history of previous plastic surgery procedures. A total of 50 patients were selected randomly for test-retest analysis.

RESULTS: The overall internal consistency was excellent (α = 0.95) and equal to that of the original article that first described the scale. There was a good correlation between all the items. Domains demonstrated good internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha) and correlation within themselves. The construct validity of the Italian DAS59 was assessed under convergent validity that confirmed the correlation with scales related to other psychological conditions. GHQ12 showed relevant correlation with DAS59, while BDI-II did not.

CONCLUSIONS: A valid and reliable Italian DAS59 version was developed that can be used for research and clinical assessment of patients with appearance problems and concerns, especially before and after plastic surgery procedures.

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