Translation, cross-cultural adaptation, and measurement properties of the Arabic version of the pain sensitivity questionnaire

Background

The Pain Sensitivity Questionnaire (PSQ) is a reliable and valid self-reported tool for the assessment of pain sensitivity in clinical practice. The PSQ has been translated, validated, and cross-culturally adapted into multiple languages. However, a validated Arabic version of the PSQ is not available. Thus, this study aims to translate, validate, and cross-culturally adapt the English version of the PSQ into the Arabic language.

Methods and materials

The English version of the PSQ was translated and culturally adapted into Arabic following international guidelines. The psychometric properties of the final version of the PSQ-Arabic (PSQ-A) were tested among 119 patients with different persistent musculoskeletal (MSK) pain.

Findings

The Cronbach's α for the PSQ-A-total, PSQ-A-moderate, and PSQ-C-minor were 0.81, 0.79, and 0.76, respectively. The means for the PSQ-A-total, PSQ-A-moderate, and PSQ-C-minor scores were 5.07 (±1.28), 5.64 (±2.07), and 4.50 (±0.50). The test-retest reliability measured with the interclass correlation coefficient for 68 subjects was 0.80 for the PSQ-A-total, 0.74 for the PSQ-A-moderate, and 0.77 for the PSQ-A-minor. The PSQ-A-total and the PSQ-A-minor showed positive significant correlations with pain catastrophizing scale (PCS) (r = 0.15, 0.17); P ≤ 0.05), respectively. The PSQ-A-total, PSQ-A-moderate, and PSQ-A-minor showed positive significant correlations with the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI)-pain scores (r = 0.47, 0.43, 0.45; P ≤ 0.01), respectively and with the BPI-pain interference scores (r = 0.37, 0.33, 0.34; P ≤ 0.01), respectively.

Conclusions

This study shows that the PSQ-A is a reliable and valid tool to assess individuals with pain sensitivity in Arabic populations. Further studies are recommended to examine the concurrent validity of the PSQ-A against experimental pain sensitivity measures.

The Value of Pain Sensitivity Questionnaire in Predicting Postoperative Pain in Living Kidney Donors: A Prospective Observational Study

Purpose

This study aimed to investigate the value of the Pain Sensitivity Questionnaire (PSQ) for the prediction of postoperative pain and the relationship between pain sensitivity and postoperative pain in kidney donors undergoing living-related kidney transplantation.

Patients and Methods

A total of 148 kidney donors were selected and the preoperative pain sensitivity questionnaire was administered the day before surgery. Kidney donors were assigned to low PSQ group (PSQ < 6.5, n = 76) or high PSQ group (PSQ ≥ 6.5, n = 72). The primary endpoint was the number of patient-controlled analgesia (PCA). Other outcomes included: the incidence of acute pain, flurbiprofen axetil remediation rate, the incidence of chronic pain, neuropathic pain assessment scale (Douleur Neuropathique 4 Questions, DN4), visual analog scale (VAS) at rest after surgery as well as the correlation between PSQ and QST (Quantitative Sensory Testing).

Results

The low PSQ group had a significantly lower number of PCA than high PSQ group (P < 0.0001). The incidence of acute pain was 75% in low PSQ group and 100% in high PSQ group (P < 0.0001). Furthermore, flurbiprofen axetil remediation rate was lower in low PSQ group than that in high PSQ group (P = 0.042). The incidence of chronic pain was significantly lower in low PSQ group than in high PSQ group (6.6% vs 61.1%, P < 0.001). Moreover, DN4 was significantly lower in low PSQ group than that in high PSQ group (P < 0.001). The PSQ-mean was significantly negatively correlated with QST in kidney donors. VAS at rest for the low PSQ group were lower than those of the high PSQ group.

Conclusion

The PSQ was found to be associated with the intensity or postoperative pain and might be used to screen patients prior to living-kidney transplantation.

Does the pain sensitivity questionnaire correlate with tourniquet pain in patients undergoing ankle surgery?

Background

Tourniquet pain is the most prominent problem in ankle surgery, and there is no proper method to predict it. It was reported that pain sensitivity questionnaires could evaluate the pain sensitivity of subjects. Its potential to predict tourniquet pain in ankle surgery is constructive and meaningful.

Methods

One hundred and twenty patients undergoing ankle surgery were included in this study. The pain sensitivity questionnaire (PSQ) and self-rating anxiety scale (SAS) were completed before the operation. The methods included an ultrasound-guided popliteal sciatic, a femoral nerve block, and a proximal thigh tourniquet. The pressure of the tourniquet was set according to the systolic blood pressure (SBP + 100 mmHg). A visual analogue scale (VAS) was used to assess the tourniquet pain. Also, the onset time of tourniquet pain ≥4 VAS units was recorded.

Results

The PSQ-total and PSQ-minor scores were significantly correlated with the onset time when the tourniquet pain ≥4 VAS units (r = -0.763, r = -0.731, P < 0.001). The PSQ-total score <6.5 group gave significantly lower ratings for items 3, 4, 14, and 16 in the PSQ survey compared to the PSQ-total score ≥6.5 group (P < 0.05). Patients with high pain sensitivity have a higher need for analgesic drugs (P < 0.001). PSQ-total score ≥6.5 (OR = 185.8, 95% CI = 39.8-1,437.6, P < 0.001), sex (male, OR = 0.11, 95% CI = 0.018-0.488, P < 0.05), and age (OR = 0.92, 95% CI = 0.842-0.995, P < 0.05) were risk factors for reporting a tourniquet pain ≥4 VAS units within 30 min.

Conclusion

The PSQ score is found to be correlated with intraoperative tourniquet pain. In addition, sex and age also affect the time of having intraoperative tourniquet pain.

Genome-wide association study of pain sensitivity assessed by questionnaire and the cold pressor test

ABSTRACT

We deployed an online pain sensitivity questionnaire (PSQ) and an at-home version of the cold pressor test (CPT) in a large genotyped cohort. We performed genome-wide association studies on the PSQ score (25,321 participants) and CPT duration (6853). We identified one new genome-wide significant locus associated with the PSQ score, which was located in the TSSC1 (also known as EIPR1 ) gene (rs58194899, OR = 0.950 [0.933-0.967], P -value = 1.9 × 10 -8 ). Although high pain sensitivity measured by both PSQ and CPT was associated with individual history of chronic and acute pains, genetic correlation analyses surprisingly suggested an opposite direction: PSQ score was inversely genetically correlated with neck and shoulder pain ( rg = -0.71), rheumatoid arthritis (-0.68), and osteoarthritis (-0.38), and with known risk factors, such as the length of working week (-0.65), smoking (-0.36), or extreme BMI (-0.23). Gene-based analysis followed by pathway analysis showed that genome-wide association studies results were enriched for genes expressed in the brain and involved in neuronal development and glutamatergic synapse signaling pathways. Finally, we confirmed that females with red hair were more sensitive to pain and found that genetic variation in the MC1R gene was associated with an increase in self-perceived pain sensitivity as assessed by the PSQ.

Translation, validation, and cross-cultural adaptation of the Polish version of the pain sensitivity questionnaire

Introduction

The purpose of this study was to provide a translation, cross-cultural adaptation, and validation of the Polish language version of the pain sensitivity questionnaire (PSQ). The process followed widely accepted guidelines.

Methods

The translated questionnaire underwent thorough psychometric testing. In total, the data of 144 subjects (mean age 52.53±13 years), who underwent evaluation for lower back pain, were included.

Results

The exploratory factor analysis revealed a two-factor structure, PSQ-moderate and PSQ-minor. The internal consistency was good (Cronbach’s α was 0.96). There was a fair and significant correlation between the results of the PSQ and the coping strategy questionnaire (CSQ; Spearman’s rho was 0.27). The test-retest reliability was favorable, and the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) for the CSQ total was 0.93 with a mean interval of 9.04 days between administrations.

Conclusion

Our results show that the Polish version of the PSQ is valid and can be recommended for Polish-speaking patients.

Association between self-perceived pain sensitivity and pain intensity after cardiac surgery

Background and purpose

Cardiac surgical pain remains a clinical challenge affecting about 40% of individuals in the first six months post-cardiac surgery, and continues up to two years after surgery for about 15–20%. Self-perceived sensitivity to pain may help to identify individuals at risk for persistent cardiac surgical pain to optimize health care responses. The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between self-perceived pain sensitivity assessed by the Pain Sensitivity Questionnaire (PSQ) and postoperative worst pain intensity up to 12 months after cardiac surgery. Sex differences in baseline characteristics and the PSQ scores were also assessed.

Methods

This study was performed among 416 individuals (23% women) scheduled for elective coronary artery bypass graft and/or valve surgery between March 2012 and September 2013. A secondary data-analysis was utilized to explore the relationship between preoperative PSQ scores and worst pain intensity rated preoperatively, across postoperative Days 1–4, at 2 weeks, and at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months post-surgery. Linear mixed model analyses were performed to estimate changes in pain intensity during 1-year follow-up.

Results

The mean (±standard deviation) PSQ-total score was 3.3±1.4, with similar scores in men and women. The PSQ-total score was significantly associated with higher worst pain intensity ratings adjusted for participant characteristics (p=0.001).

Conclusion

Use of the PSQ before surgery may predict cardiac surgical pain intensity. However, previous evidence is limited and not consistent, and more research is needed to substantiate our results.

Validation of the Mandarin Chinese Version of the Pain Sensitivity Questionnaire

BACKGROUND AND AIM

The Pain Sensitivity Questionnaire (PSQ), a self-reported scale, has been used to assess the pain sensitivity level in a Caucasian population. However, a validated Mandarin Chinese version of the PSQ is not available. This study was aimed to translate the PSQ into Mandarin Chinese (PSQ-C) and validate it to measure pain sensitivity among Chinese people.

METHODS

The English version of the PSQ has been translated into Mandarin Chinese (PSQ-C), according to the standard steps of cross-cultural adaptation of self-reported scales. Three of the 17 items were revised owing to cultural adaptation. The final version was validated on a population of 182 Chinese people in Changsha City, China, during October to December 2015. The participants underwent electrical experimental pain testing. The psychometric properties of the PSQ-C and its subscales were examined.

RESULTS

The Cronbach's alpha coefficients for the PSQ-C-total, PSQ-C-moderate, and PSQ-C-minor were 0.90, 0.86, and 0.81, respectively. Acceptable test-retest reliability, content validity, and construct validity were demonstrated. Concurrent validity was shown via significant positive correlations between PSQ-C scores and perceived pain intensity at pain threshold and during pain stimulation with a fixed intensity. Convergent validity was shown via significant positive correlations between Pain Catastrophizing Scale scores and PSQ-C scores. Known group validity was demonstrated via higher PSQ-C-total and PSQ-C-moderate scores among those with high neuroticism scores. These results indicate that the PSQ-C has reasonably good psychometric properties, similar to the original English and German versions.

CONCLUSION

The PSQ-C is a reliable and useful tool to assess pain sensitivity levels in a Chinese population.

Validation of the Norwegian Pain Sensitivity Questionnaire

Background and purpose

There is a large variation in people’s reactions to painful stimuli. Although some conditions are more painful, the variation between people is larger than the reaction to pain across conditions. Induced experimental pain is one way to assess some aspects of these differences in pain perception. Experimental nociceptive testing is time consuming and not always feasible in a clinical setting. In order to overcome the obstacles of assessing pain sensitivity using experimental stimulation, the Pain Sensitivity Questionnaire (PSQ) was developed. The purpose of this study is to validate the Norwegian version of the PSQ.

Methods

Construct validity was examined through an exploratory principal component factor analysis with varimax rotation. Internal consistency was measured by Cronbach’s alpha reliability for subscales and the total PSQ. As confounding variables such as age and gender may contribute to the experience of pain, a regression analysis was performed with demographic variables and PSQ scores as independent variables and the experimental measures of pain as the dependent variable.

Results

The factor analysis yielded at two factor solution, with an eigenvalue greater than one, explain 58% of the variance. Cronbach’s alpha for the PSQ was 0.92. In the regression analysis, only PSQ scores contributed to explain the experimental pain intensity and tolerance. Gender only influenced the experimental pain threshold, as men had statistically significant higher heat pain threshold than women.

Conclusion

This study shows that PSQ is a valid and reliable questionnaire and might be a promising instrument for assessing pain sensitivity in Norwegian clinical settings. Further studies are needed to examine whether the PSQ can be used in clinical settings to predict postoperative pain and the development of chronic pain.

Relationship between self-reported pain sensitivity and pain after total knee arthroplasty: a prospective study of 71 patients 8 weeks after a standardized fast-track program

Background and purpose

This was a prospective cohort study assessing data from 71 adult patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA) following a standardized fast-track program between January and July 2013. The objective was to examine the relationship between self-rated pain sensitivity, as measured by the Pain Sensitivity Questionnaire (PSQ), and postoperative pain after TKA.

Methods

The baseline questionnaires, PSQ and Brief Pain Inventory, were given to the patients for self-administration at the presurgical evaluation (1–2 weeks prior to surgery). The follow-up questionnaire, Brief Pain Inventory, was administered at the first follow-up, 8 weeks after surgery.

Results

A statistically significant association was found between average preoperative pain and average pain 8 weeks after surgery (P=0.001). The PSQ-minor was statistically significantly associated with average pain only for patients younger than 70 years (P=0.03).

Interpretation

This is the first study to examine the relationship between pain sensitivity measured by PSQ and postoperative pain in patients after TKA. We found that a lower score on the PSQ-minor was statistically significantly associated with patients’ pain 8 weeks after TKA surgery, but only for younger patients. Further research is needed to explore whether the PSQ could be a useful screening tool for patients’ pain sensitivity in clinical settings.