Measuring differences in social touch: Development and validation of the short Touch Experiences and Attitudes Questionnaire (TEAQ-s)

• Published in: Personality and individual differences 2025-02, Vol.233, p.112890, Article 112890
• Main Authors: Friedrich, Yvonne, Faresse, Sophia, Henning, Celine, Trotter, Paula D., Ackerley, Rochelle, Croy, Ilona
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Affective touch; Cognitive science; Interpersonal touch; Questionnaire; Social touch; Translation; Validation
• ISSN: 0191-8869
• DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2024.112890

Interpersonal touch is an essential part of human social life, impacting emotional and physical well-being. Variations in touch behavior and perception can be assessed by the Touch Experiences and Attitudes Questionnaire (TEAQ). Although comprehensive, the TEAQ appears lengthy with 57 items, limiting its usability for large surveys. Therefore, we developed a refined and shortened version of 16 items, tested in Germany and France. This manuscript presents three studies. In the first, we created the TEAQ-s (n = 313). In the second and third, we validated the TEAQ-s in German (n = 383) and French (n = 327), respectively. The resulting TEAQ-s showed strong reliability (Cronbach's alpha: 0.86 to 0.87; test-retest correlation: r = 0.85) and validity consistent with the original version. Analyses also revealed that being in a relationship, relationship satisfaction, mental health, and body appreciation were positively related to touch experiences and attitudes. A four-factor structure (4 items per scale) was confirmed through factor analysis. Final subscales are attitude to friendly touch, current intimate touch, childhood touch, and attitude to intimate touch. We hope that the TEAQ-s serves as a valuable tool for researchers in the field of touch and beyond, offering well-founded items in an efficient format. •To facilitate large-scale studies on social touch, we developed the short TEAQ-s.•The questionnaire was validated in three studies including 1023 participants.•Test-retest reliability was 0.85 in the German and French version.•Cronbach's alpha and validity results were consistent with longer TEAQ versions.•Scores were positively related to mental health and body appreciation.