# Translation and validation of the polish version of the self-reported postural awareness scale in an adult sample

## TL;DR

This study validates a Polish version of the Postural Awareness Scale, showing it is reliable and useful for measuring body awareness in adults.

## Contribution

The study provides a culturally adapted and validated Polish version of the Postural Awareness Scale for use in diverse adult populations.

## Key findings

- The Polish version of the PAS has strong internal consistency and psychometric properties similar to the original German version.
- Older participants showed higher scores on the Ease/Familiarity with Postural Awareness subscale.
- PAS scores were negatively correlated with perceived stress levels.

## Abstract

Body awareness has gained increasing attention in research as a crucial link between psychological and somatic processes, offering tangible benefits for physical health and well-being. This study aimed to validate and culturally adapt the Polish version of the Postural Awareness Scale (PAS) in adults aged 20–70.

The relationships between the two PAS subscales: Ease/Familiarity with Postural Awareness and Need for Attention Regulation with Postural Awareness, and chronic stress levels (measured by the Perceived Stress Scale, PSS-10), as well as gender, age, and family status (individuals in permanent relationships versus singles), were explored. The factor structure was tested by exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis.

A total of 333 healthy participants (mean age: 36.74 ± 19.7 years; 76% female) completed the study. Cultural adaptation of the PAS required the removal of one item, resulting in an 11-item Polish version with strong internal consistency (Crohnbach’s α: 0.80–0.82) and psychometric properties comparable to the original German version. Multi-group analyses confirmed metric equivalence of the scale across age, gender, and family status. A negative correlation was observed between PAS scores and perceived stress (PSS-10), while no significant associations were found with gender or family status. Older participants exhibited higher scores on the Ease/Familiarity with Postural Awareness subscale. These findings suggest that the Polish version of the PAS is a reliable and valid tool for assessing postural awareness in diverse adult populations, with potential applications in research and clinical practice.