Some empirical evidence regarding the validity of the Spanish version of the McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ-SV)

Despite the fact that the McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ) is a useful pain assessment tool with widespread acceptance, empirical analyses have questioned its validity because they have not consistently supported the three a priori factors that guided its construction. The Spanish version that has followed the most systematic and rigorous reconstruction process (Lázaro C, Bosch F, Torrubia R, Banos JE. The development of a Spanish Questionnaire for assessing pain: preliminary data concerning reliability and validity. Eur J Psychol Assess, 1994;10:145-151) lacks evidence to support its construct validity. In the present study, the internal structure of the Spanish version of the McGill Pain Questionnaire (Lázaro C, Bosch F, Torrubia R, Banos JE. The development of a Spanish Questionnaire for assessing pain: preliminary data concerning reliability and validity. Eur J Psychol Assess, 1994;10:145-151) was examined in a sample of 202 acute pain patients and 207 chronic pain patients. Confirmatory factor analyses were carried out to compare alternative models postulating different internal structures (one-factor model, the classic three-factor model, and the semantic model inspired by the alternative structure found by Donaldson in 1995 (Donaldson GW. The factorial structure and stability of the McGill Pain Questionnaire in patients experiencing oral mucositis following bone marrow transplantation. Pain 1995;62:101-109)). Results from the LISREL CFA analysis indicated that the semantic model fitted better than the other models. On the other hand, intercorrelations between scales were smaller than the reliability indexes. In relation to concurrent evidence, significant correlations (0.001) were found between each subscale and the criteria measurements of every pain dimension. Only the affective subscale presented discriminant validity. Evidence supports the validity of the affective and sensory subscales but not the evaluative scale.     

Using the McGill Pain Questionnaire to study common postoperative complications

For many individuals undergoing routine surgical procedures, their satisfaction with the operation may depend upon their postoperative experience. We used the McGill Pain Questionnaire and the McGill Nausea Questionnaire to study the intensity of 5 common postoperative problems--sore throat, muscle pain, headache, backache, and nausea. We found that the questionnaires were able to determine the intensity of the postoperative problem but due to time pressures, a shorter version would be needed to study large numbers of patients. Using a discriminant analysis, we found that the 25 most frequently chosen words were able to distinguish between the 4 pain-related problems. As well the Present Pain Intensity (PPI) correlated highly with the standard form word choices and appeared to be measuring the same dimension of intensity for these complaints.     

The Dartmouth Pain Questionnaire: an adjunct to the McGill Pain Questionnaire

The Dartmouth Pain Questionnaire is presented as an adjunct to the McGill Pain Questionnaire. It adds assessment of 4 objective measurements (pain complaints, somatic interventions, impaired functioning, and remaining positive aspects of function) and 1 subjective measure (changes in self-esteem since onset of pain). The entire device fits on one piece of paper and patients easily learn to self-administer it. Standardization results show acceptable levels of reliability and validity.     

Factor analysis validates the cluster structure of the dendrogram underlying the Multidimensional Affect and Pain Survey (MAPS) and challenges the a priori classification of the descriptors in the McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ)

The purpose of this study was to validate the content and structure of the Multidimensional Affect and Pain Survey (MAPS) by means of factor analysis. The 101-MAPS is based on a dendrogram obtained by cluster analysis and contains 30 clusters subsumed within three superclusters. If the MAPS is a valid questionnaire for the quantification of emotion and pain in patients, then factor analysis of patients' intensity ratings should produce factors which correspond to the cluster structure of the dendrogram. To confirm the structure of the dendrogram and hence, MAPS, factor analysis was applied to the responses by 100 outpatients diagnosed with early stage cancer. Principal components analysis of responses to the MAPS yielded six factors. In accordance with the hypothesis, 13 of the 17 clusters within the MAPS somatosensory pain supercluster loaded on three sensory factors: factor 1, severe sensory pain; factor 3, moderate sensory pain; and factor 6, numb/cold. Five of the eight clusters within the emotional pain supercluster loaded on factor 2, negative emotions. Four of the five clusters in the well-being supercluster loaded on factor 4, good health. Factor 5, manageable illness was loaded on by clusters from the well-being supercluster and the somatosensory pain supercluster. The homogeneity of the six factors found demonstrate the validity of the MAPS and the cluster structure of the dendrogram. MAPS proved sensitive to sex differences; women endorsed the negative emotions factor more strongly than did men. The MAPS factors were much more homogeneous than those reported in the literature for the McGill Pain Questionnaire.     

Cross-validation of the factor structure of the McGill Pain Questionnaire

Low back pain patients' responses to the McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ) were factor analyzed using the principal factor method and direct oblique rotation procedures. Four factors were extracted that accounted for 55% of the total variance. Coefficients of congruence were computed in order to relate the current factors with those extracted in a previous factor analytic investigation. The results provided positive evidence that the sensory pressure, evaluative, and affective-sensory factors that were previously identified are stable dimensions underlying the MPQ responses of low back pain patients. However, it is necessary to conduct further cross-validation studies using patients from a wide variety of treatment settings.     

简化McGill疼痛评分表的临床应用评价

采用简化McGill疼痛评分表(简化MPQ)测定147例疼痛病人。简化MPQ主要包括6项指标:选词项目数、疼痛分级指数(PRI)感觉分、情绪和总分、目测类比定级(VAS)与现有疼痛强度(PPI)。分析结果信度系数0.85～0.98,效度系数0.48～0.91,具有高度显著性相关。对急性痛、慢性痛,术后痛患者的疼痛性质、强度、以及治疗前后进行了比较。表明简化MPQ信度高、效度好、简便易行、指标定量,是一种有实用价值的临床疼痛测定工具。     

Reliability and validity study of the Finnish version of the Chronic Pain Acceptance Questionnaire (CPAQ)

Purpose: Acceptance has been discovered to be successful in improving quality of life when adjusting to chronic pain. Instead of avoiding and controlling the pain, the goal is to confront the pain and to live a value directed life. Thus far, there has not been an instrument in Finnish to assess the acceptance of chronic pain. This study aimed at translating the Chronic Pain Acceptance Questionnaire-(CPAQ)-into Finnish and assessing its reliability and validity. Method: Eighty-one persons with different types of chronic pain responded to the CPAQ, the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), RAND-36 and questions of sociodemographic and pain-related variables. Results: The responders’ ages varied from 16 to 83 years (mean = 48.5 years) and 63% of them were women. For 55% of the participants, the pain had lasted more than 4 years and 63% from the sample had chronic pain in the low back or lower extremities. In test-retest analysis, the interclass correlation coefficient (ICC ) values were good, 0.81–0.87. Internal consistency was very good (α = 0.86). There was no floor-ceiling effect in the Finnish version of CPAQ. Correlation was found between both subscales of the CPAQ and every domain of the RAND-36 (r = 0.23; 0.68) and the BDI (r = ?0.24; ?0.62). Education, age, pain avoidance, social support and pain intensity correlated with either one of the subscales or total CPAQ. CPAQ revealed no association between fear of pain and pain duration. Conclusions: In conclusion, the Finnish version of the CPAQ is a reliable and valid method for measuring chronic pain acceptance.

Implications for Rehabilitation

Chronic Pain Acceptance Questionnaire

• There has not been an instrument in Finnish to assess the acceptance of chronic pain.

• The Finnish version of the Chronic Pain Acceptance Questionnaire (CPAQ) is a reliable and valid method for measuring chronic pain acceptance.

• In physiotherapy, CPAQ can be a useful instrument collecting background information of the chronic pain patient and assessing when to consult a psychologist. In addition in long therapies assessing the enhanced acceptance can be monitored with CPAQ.

     

The use of the McGill Pain Questionnaire in assessing arthritis pain

Responses to the McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ) were described in two samples of arthritis patients, an inpatient group (n = 94) and an outpatient group (n = 94). Subjects in both samples used a similar set of sensory words to describe their arthritis pain. The inpatient sample, however, used affective words of higher intensity than the outpatient sample. Because the two samples came from a common population, they were combined and exploratory factor analyses using principal component analysis with first oblique and then orthogonal rotations were performed. The analysis yielded 6 factors that accounted for 58.3% of the variance in the sample. Clear sensory factors, an affective factor and an evaluative factor were identified. The study provides preliminary evidence that a substantial affective dimension underlies the MPQ responses of arthritis patients and confirms the parsimony of a 3-factor solution for the questionnaire.     

Autonomic indices and reactive pain reports on the McGill Pain Questionnaire

Skin conductance and heart rate measures obtained from subjects previous to, during, and after their performance of the cold pressor task were correlated with their responses to the McGill Pain Questionnaire administered immediately after the completion of the cold pressor task. A reliable relationship between skin conductance level and responses on the evaluative scale of the MPA was found in the resting state, while anticipating the cold pressor task and during this task. Heart rate was related to these pain reports only during the warning or anticipation period. These findings were interpreted as supporting the use of the McGill Pain Questionnaire in the assessment of the reactive component of pain. They also suggest the utility of further research into autonomic indices as physiological correlates of this reactive aspect of pain.     

Evaluation of the Psychometric Properties of the Revised Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire

The recently revised version of the Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ-2) was created to assess both neuropathic and non-neuropathic pain. The current study extends prior research by testing the reliability and validity of the SF-MPQ-2 in a sample of U.S. veteran patients with a range of chronic pain diagnoses. Participants (N = 186) completed the SF-MPQ-2, a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Structured Clinical Interview for the DSM-IV, and self-report pain and psychiatric measures. Pain diagnoses were extracted from the electronic medical record. The SF-MPQ-2 total and scale scores demonstrated good-to-excellent internal consistency. Convergent and discriminant validity were supported, and SF-MPQ-2 total and scale scores increased with number of pain diagnoses and pain severity. Confirmatory factor analyses indicated that a 4-factor model fit the data better than a single-factor model. However, high intercorrelations among the 4 latent constructs were observed, and a second-order global pain construct also emerged. Overall, the SF-MPQ-2 demonstrated excellent reliability and validity in a sample of U.S. veteran patients with chronic neuropathic and non-neuropathic pain. Future psychometric studies of the SF-MPQ-2 should employ longitudinal data to evaluate the ability of scale scores to uniquely predict clinical and health service outcomes.     

The validity and reliability of the Turkish version of short‐form McGill Pain Questionnaire in patients with leukemia

Aims and objectives. To assess reliability and validity of the Turkish version of the Short‐form McGill Pain Questionnaire. Background. Pain is one of the most frequent and significant problems encountered by nurses practice across the world. The Short‐form McGill Pain Questionnaire was widely translated and used to assess the pain experience of several types of patients because it combines the properties of the standard McGill Pain Questionnaire but takes substantially less time to administer. Design. The study used psychometric testing to establish reliability and validity of the Turkish version of Short‐form McGill Pain Questionnaire. Methods. A convenience sample of 160 patients with leukaemia in Turkey was used to collect data regarding pain evaluation. The original version of the Short‐form McGill Pain Questionnaire, adapted into Turkish, was tested for internal consistency, content validity, construct validity and concurrent validity. Results. Internal consistency was found adequate at both assessments with Cronbach’s α 0·88 for test and 0·91 for retest. For reliability of the total, sensory, affective and evaluative total pain intensity, high intraclass correlations were demonstrated (0·85, 0·84, 0·82 and 0·70, respectively). Correlation of total, sensory and affective score with the numerical rating scale was tested for construct validity demonstrating r = 0·61 (p < 0·01) for test and r = 0·68 (p < 0·01) for retest. Correlation with blood pressure values for concurrent validity was found to be r = 0·78 (p < 0·001) for test and r = 0·73 (p < 0·001) for retest. Conclusion. Turkish version of the Short‐form McGill Pain Questionnaire has shown statistically acceptable levels of reliability and validity for pain evaluation in patients with leukaemia. Relevance to clinical practice. This study provided evidence that the Turkish version of the Short‐form McGill Pain Questionnaire is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing pain. This scale can be used to assess nursing interventions aimed at decreasing pain and efficacy of the treatment.