The Psychometric Properties of the Persian Version of Dysmorphic Concern Questionnaire

The Dysmorphic Concern Questionnaire (DCQ) is a widely used screening instrument assessing dysmorphic concerns ranging from a mild to an excessive level. In Iran, there is no brief and valid questionnaire for the assessment of body dysmorphic disorder.

To investigate the psychometric properties of this scale, 210 university students (103 males and 107 females) were selected by convenience sampling method. The study participants were requested to complete the DCQ, scales of external shame, self-compassion, negative affect, and perfectionism. LISREL and SPSS were used for analyzing the obtained data. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), correlation coefficient, and Cronbach’s alpha coefficient were calculated, as well.

The one-factor structure of  DCQ was supported by the results of CFA in an Iranian sample (X2/df=2/12, RMSEA=0.07, NFI=0.94, CFI=0.97). Dysmorphic concern was positively and significantly correlated with external shame scale (0.38), perfectionism (0.22), and negative affect (0.22); however, they were negatively and significantly correlated with self-compassion (0.16). Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was obtained equal to 0.78 in this respect.

DCQ demonstrated acceptable psychometric properties in university student populations. This scale has appropriate psychometric properties for research and clinical practice.