# Dutch Interoceptive Scales Validation

Validation of Dutch translations of the Interoceptive Accuracy Scale (IAS) and Interoceptive Attention Scale (IATS).

## Overview

This repository contains the analysis code and documentation for validating Dutch translations of two important interoceptive awareness questionnaires:

- **Interoceptive Accuracy Scale (IAS)**: Measures perceived ability to accurately detect internal bodily signals

- **Interoceptive Attention Scale (IATS)**: Measures attention paid to internal bodily signals

**Citation**:

Mulder, J., Elferink-Gemser, M. T., de Vries, J. D., & Kiefte-de Jong, J. C. (2025). Reliability and Validity of the Dutch Interoceptive Accuracy Scale and Interoceptive Attention Scale. medRxiv. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.05.06.25326009

**Analyses Performed**:

- Principal Component Analysis (PCA) with varimax rotation

- Internal consistency analysis (Cronbach's α)

- Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) for 1-4 factor solutions

- Regression analyses with related questionnaires

## Repository Structure

```

dutch-interoceptive-scales-validation/

├── README.md # This file

├── LICENSE # MIT License

├── requirements.txt # Python dependencies

├── questionnaire_validation_analysis.py # Main analysis script

├── data/ # Data files (not included in public repo)

│ └── README.md # Data format documentation

├── output/ # Analysis results and plots

│ └── README.md # Output documentation

└── docs/ # Additional documentation

  └── README.md # Documentation index

```

## Quick Start

### Prerequisites

- Python 3.8 or higher

- Required packages (see requirements.txt)

### Installation

1. Clone this repository:

```bash

git clone https://github.com/\[your-username]/dutch-interoceptive-scales-validation.git

cd dutch-interoceptive-scales-validation

```

2. Install required packages:

```bash

pip install -r requirements.txt

```

3. Place your data file in the data/ folder and update the DATA\_PATH in analysis.py

### Running the Analysis

```bash

python analysis.py

```

## Key Variables

The analysis focuses on these essential variables:

- **Participant ID**: Persoon\_ID

- **Demographics**: Leeftijd (Age), Geslacht (Gender)

- **Target Scales**: IAS (21 items), IATS (21 items)

- **Validation Measures**: BPQ, ICQ, BDI, TAS total scores

## Analysis Pipeline

1. **Data Preparation**

  - Load and clean data

  - Remove outliers (Z-score > 3)

  - Calculate descriptive statistics

2. **Principal Component Analysis**

  - Test factorability (KMO, Bartlett's test)

  - Extract factors using Kaiser criterion

  - Apply varimax rotation

  - Generate scree plots

3. **Internal Consistency**

  - Calculate Cronbach's α for overall scales

  - Test α for different factor structures (1-4 factors)

4. **Confirmatory Factor Analysis**

  - Test 1-4 factor models using train/test split

  - Calculate fit indices (χ², CFI, TLI, RMSEA)

  - Evaluate model fit quality

5. **Regression Analysis**

  - Univariate regressions between IAS/IATS and validation measures

  - Report standardized coefficients and effect sizes

## Output

The script generates:

- Console output with detailed results

- Scree plots saved to output/ folder

- Comprehensive statistical summaries

## Data Format

See data/README.md for detailed information about the expected data format and variable naming conventions.

## Contributing

This repository contains the analysis code for a published study. For questions or suggestions, please open an issue.

## License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the [LICENSE](LICENSE) file for details.

## Citation

If you use this code in your research, please cite:

Mulder, J., Elferink-Gemser, M. T., de Vries, J. D., & Kiefte-de Jong, J. C. (2025). Reliability and Validity of the Dutch Interoceptive Accuracy Scale and Interoceptive Attention Scale. medRxiv. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.05.06.25326009