Thesis, 1985, from the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Göteborg, Sweden and Psychiatric Department II, Lillhagen Hospital, Hisings Backa, Sweden
Some body-centred therapies of historical interest are briefly described. Body-centred concepts are defined for use in this issue: body consciousness, body experience, body image, body image boundaries, body management, body awareness, movement pattern and general bodily dysfunctions. The treatment method, Body Awareness Therapy, is described in two techniques, based on two complementary aspects of body consciousness and motor behaviour: 1) general functions common to all human beings, and 2) the unique individuality of nonverbal behaviour.
The Body Awareness Scale, BAS, is a combination of items from the Comprehensive Psychopathological Rating Scale, CPRS, and new body items. The new body items and the principles for the scale steps are briefly defined. A movement test mainly comprising movement of everyday life is described. A study designed to test the BAS for description of schizophrenic patients in after-care is presented. Fifty-three patients were rated a first time and the results show a variation of mean scores over the scale with a low frequency of psychotic symptoms, a high frequency of symptoms related to the body and emotional symptoms. The inter-rater reliability was satisfactory, four pairs of raters showing 0.96 – 0.98 over the whole scale.
A second study aimed at a data reduction by giving patterns of symptoms of the BAS. A factor analysis, based on 292 ratings with 60 patients, gave 13 factors, where all items were represented with a factor loading > 40. the factor analysis gave nine factors containing both items from the CPRS and new body items. Especially interesting factors seam to be The Movement Factor, Body Image Factor, General Feeling of Illness Factor and Anxiety Factor.
The purpose of the third study was to test the hypothesis that the BAS is sensitive to change, specifically concerning body awareness and general bodily dysfunctions. To achieve changes, six months of Body Awareness Therapy was given. Thirty-two patients with chronic schizophrenia entered the study, twenty were randomly allocated to a treatment group and twelve to a control group.
The assessments were: Ratings with BAS (reported and observed items) and side effects of treatment with neuroleptics (Simpson & Angus); self reports of well-being, target problems and life events (Rahe & Theorell) and number of days in hospital.
All significant changes in the study were in favour of the treatment group. Intra-group differences in The Movement Factor, Body Image Factor, Anxiety Factor, Gaze & Sexual Interest Factor, in twelve items of the BAS and in side effects were found in the treatment group after six months of treatment. After six months of follow-up there were significant changes in Gaze & Sexual Interest Factor, seven items of the BAS and target problem. Inter-group differences in The Movement Factor and Days in Hospital were found after six months of follow-up. The study thus gave support to content and construct validity of the BAS.
KEY WORDS: Body Image, physiotherapy, assessment, schizophrenia