Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Development of the Italian version of the Pain Catastrophising Scale (PCS-I): cross-cultural adaptation, factor analysis, reliability, validity and sensitivity to change

  • Brief Communication
  • Published:
Quality of Life Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this study was to create an Italian version of the Pain Catastrophising Scale (PCS-I) and evaluate its psychometric properties in a sample with chronic low back pain.

Methods

The PCS was culturally adapted in accordance with international standards. The psychometric testing included factor analysis, reliability by internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha) and test–retest repeatability (intraclass coefficient correlations), and concurrent validity by comparing the PCS-I with a numerical rating scale (NRS), the Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia (TSK), the Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and the Positive Affect and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS) (Pearson’s correlation).

Results

It took 4 months to develop an agreed version of the PCS-I, which was satisfactorily administered to 180 subjects with chronic low back pain. Factor analysis revealed a three-factor 13-item solution (68% of explained variance). The questionnaire was internally consistent with one exception (α = 0.92 as a whole; 0.89 for Helplessness, 0.87 for Rumination and 0.56 for Magnification subscales) and showed a high degree of test–retest reliability (ICC = 0.842). Concurrent validity showed moderate correlations with the NRS (r = 0.44), TSK (r = 0.59), RMDQ (r = 0.45), HADS (Anxiety: r = 0.57; Depression r = 0.46) and PANAS (Negative Affect r = 0.54). The minimum detectable change was 10.45. The subscales were also psychometrically analysed.

Conclusion

The successfully translated Italian version of the PCS has good psychometric properties replicating those of other versions.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Abbreviations

LBP:

Low back pain

PCS:

Pain Catastrophising Scale

PCS-I:

Pain Catastrophising Scale, Italian version

ICC:

Intraclass coefficient correlation

NRS:

Numerical rating scale

TSK:

Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia

RMDQ:

Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire

HADS:

Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale

PANAS:

Positive and Negative Affect Scale

MDC:

Minimum detectable change

SEM:

Standard error of the measurements

SD:

Baseline standard deviation of the measurements

R:

Test–retest reliability coefficient

r:

Pearson’s correlation

References

  1. Deyo, R. A., & Weinstein, J. N. (2001). Low back pain. The New England Journal of Medicine, 344(5), 363–370.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Waddell, G., Newton, M., Henderson, I., Somerville, D., & Main, C. J. (1993). A fear-avoidance beliefs questionnaire (FABQ) and the role of fear-avoidance beliefs in chronic low back pain and disability. Pain, 52(2), 157–168.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Pincus, T., Burton, A. K., Vogel, S., & Field, A. P. (2002). A systematic review of psychological factors as predictors of chronicity/disability. Spine (Phila Pa 1976), 27(5), E109–E120.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Sullivan, M. J., Bishop, S. R., & Pivik, J. (1995). The Pain Catastrophizing Scale: Development and validation. Psychological Assessment, 7, 524–532.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Van Damme, S., Crombez, G., Bijttebier, P., Goubert, L., & Van Houdenhove, B. (2002). A confirmatory factor analysis of the Pain Catastrophizing Scale: invariant factor structure across clinical and non-clinical populations. Pain, 96, 319–324.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Osman, A., Barrios, F. X., Gutierrez, P. M., Kopper, B. A., Merrifield, T., & Grittmann, L. (2000). The Pain Catastrophizing Scale: Further psychometric evaluation with adult samples. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 23(4), 351–365.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Lamé, I. E., Peters, M. L., Kessels, A. G., Van Kleef, M., & Patijn, J. (2008). Test-retest stability of the Pain Catastrophizing Scale and the Tampa scale for Kinesiophobia in chronic pain over a longer period of time. Journal of Health Psychology, 13, 820–826.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Severeijns, R., Vlaeyen, J. W. S., van den Hout, M. A., & Weber, W. E. J. (2001). Pain Catastrophizing predicts pain intensity, disability, and psychological distress independent of the level of physical impairment. The Clinical Journal of Pain, 17, 165–172.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Picavet, H. S. J., Vlaeyen, J. W. S., & Schouten, J. S. A. G. (2002). Pain Catastrophizing and Kinesiophobia: Predictors of chronic low back pain. American Journal of Epidemiology, 156, 1028–1034.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Meyer, K., Sprott, H., & Mannion, A. F. (2008). Cross-cultural adaptation, reliability, and validity of the German version of the Pain Catastrophizing Scale. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 64, 469–478.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. García Campayo, J., Rodero, B., Alda, M., Sobradiel, N., Montero, J., & Moreno, S. (2008). Validation of the Spanish version of the Pain Catastrophizing Scale in fibromyalgia. Medicina Clínica (Barc), 131(13), 487–492.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Miró, J., Nieto, R., & Huguet, A. (2008). The Catalan version of the Pain Catastrophizing Scale: A useful instrument to assess catastrophic thinking in whiplash patients. The Journal of Pain, 9(5), 397–406.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Crombez, G., Vlaeyen, J. W. S., Heuts, P. H. T. G., & Lysens, R. (1999). Pain-related fear is more disabling than pain itself: Evidence on the role of pain-related fear in chronic low back pain disability. Pain, 80, 329–339.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Yap, J. C., Lau, J., Chen, P. P., Gin, T., Wong, Y., Phil, M., et al. (2008). Validation of the Chinese Pain Catastrophizing Scale (HK-PCS) in patients with chronic pain. Pain Medicine, 9(2), 186–195.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Pallegama, R. W., Ariyawardana, S. P. A. G., Ranasinghe, A. W., Sitheeque, M. A. M., & Glaros, A. (2009). Validation of the Sinhala version of Pain Catastrophizing Scale. Proceedings of the Peradeniya University Research Sessions, 14, 94–96.

    Google Scholar 

  16. Beaton, D. E., Bombardier, C., Guillemin, F., & Ferraz, M. B. (2000). Guidelines for the process of cross-cultural adaptation of self-report measures. Spine (Phila Pa 1976), 25, 3186–3189.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Huskinson, E. C. (1974). Measurement of pain. Lancet, 2, 1127–1131.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Monticone, M., Giorgi, I., Baiardi, P., Barbieri, M., Rocca, B., & Bonezzi, C. (2010). Development of the Italian version of the Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia, TSK-I. Cross-cultural adaptation, factor analysis, reliability and validity. Spine (Phila Pa 1976), 35(12), 1241–1246.

    Google Scholar 

  19. Padua, R., Padua, L., Ceccarelli, E., Romanini, E., Zanoli, G., Bondì, R., et al. (2002). Italian version of the Roland disability questionnaire, specific for low back pain: cross-cultural adaptation and validation. European Spine Journal, 11(2), 126–129.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Costantini, M., Musso, M., & Viterbori, P. (1999). Detecting psychological distress in cancer patients: Validity of the Italian version of the hospital anxiety and depression scale. Supportive Care in Cancer, 7(3), 121–127.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Watson, D., Clark, L. A., & Tellegen, A. (1988). Development and validation of brief measures of positive and negative affect: the PANAS scales. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 54, 1063–1070.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Atkinson, G., & Nevill, A. (1997). Comment on use of concordance correlation to assess the agreement between two variables. Biometrics, 52, 775–777.

    Google Scholar 

  23. Terwee, C. B., Bot, S., de Boer, M. R., van der Windt, D. A. W. M., Knol, D. L., Dekker, J., et al. (2007). Quality criteria were proposed for measurement properties of health status questionnaires. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 60, 34–42.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Osburn, H. G. (2000). Coefficient alpha and related internal consistency reliability coefficients. Psychological Methods, 5, 343–355.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Terwee, C. B., Van der Slikke, R. M., Van Lummel, R. C., Benink, R. J., Meijers, W. G., & De Vet, H. C. (2006). Self-reported physical functioning was more influenced by pain than performance-based physical functioning in knee-osteoarthritis patients. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 59, 724–731.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Francesca Bonetti, Teresa Coccia and Monia Rimondini for their assistance, and Kevin Smart for his help in preparing the English version of this paper.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Unit, Salvatore Maugeri Foundation, Institute of Care and Research (IRCCS), Scientific Institute of Lissone, Via Monsignor Bernasconi 16, 20035, Lissone, MI, Italy

    Marco Monticone

  2. Scientific Institute of Pavia, Salvatore Maugeri Foundation IRCCS and Consorzio Valutazioni Biologiche e Farmacologiche, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy

    Paola Baiardi

  3. Manual Therapy Sciences, University of Padua, Padua, Italy

    Silvano Ferrari

  4. Chair of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, Tor Vergata University of Rome, Rome, Italy

    Calogero Foti

  5. Section of Occupational Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Geriatrics and Nephrology, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy

    Raffaele Mugnai

  6. Section of Occupational Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Geriatrics and Nephrology, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy

    Paolo Pillastrini

  7. Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Unit, Salvatore Maugeri Foundation, Institute of Care and Research (IRCCS), Scientific Institute of Lissone, Milan, Italy

    Barbara Rocca

  8. School of Physiotherapy, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy

    Carla Vanti

Authors
  1. Marco Monticone
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Paola Baiardi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Silvano Ferrari
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Calogero Foti
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Raffaele Mugnai
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Paolo Pillastrini
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Barbara Rocca
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Carla Vanti
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Marco Monticone.

Additional information

IRB approval. The Institutional Review Board approved the study, which was conducted in conformity with ethical and humane principles of research.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Monticone, M., Baiardi, P., Ferrari, S. et al. Development of the Italian version of the Pain Catastrophising Scale (PCS-I): cross-cultural adaptation, factor analysis, reliability, validity and sensitivity to change. Qual Life Res 21, 1045–1050 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-011-0007-4

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-011-0007-4

Keywords

Search

Navigation