Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2016 Jun;15(2):87-94.
doi: 10.1016/j.jcm.2016.04.010. Epub 2016 May 25.

Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Multiple Linear Regression of the Neck Disability Index: Assessment If Subscales Are Equally Relevant in Whiplash and Nonspecific Neck Pain

Arthur C Croft  1 , Bryce Milam  2 , Jade Meylor  3 , Richard Manning  4
Affiliations

Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Multiple Linear Regression of the Neck Disability Index: Assessment If Subscales Are Equally Relevant in Whiplash and Nonspecific Neck Pain

Arthur C Croft et al. J Chiropr Med. 2016 Jun.

Abstract

Objective: Because of previously published recommendations to modify the Neck Disability Index (NDI), we evaluated the responsiveness and dimensionality of the NDI within a population of adult whiplash-injured subjects. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the responsiveness and dimensionality of the NDI within a population of adult whiplash-injured subjects.

Methods: Subjects who had sustained whiplash injuries of grade 2 or higher completed an NDI questionnaire. There were 123 subjects (55% female, of which 36% had recovered and 64% had chronic symptoms. NDI subscales were analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis, considering only the subscales and, secondly, using sex as an 11th variable. The subscales were also tested with multiple linear regression modeling using the total score as a target variable.

Results: When considering only the 10 NDI subscales, only a single factor emerged, with an eigenvalue of 5.4, explaining 53.7% of the total variance. Strong correlation (> .55) (P < .0001) between all variables was found. Multiple linear regression modeling revealed high internal consistency with all coefficients reaching significance (P < .0001). The 4 NDI subscales exerting the greatest effect were, in decreasing order, Sleeping, Lifting, Headaches, and Pain Intensity.

Conclusion: A 2-factor model of the NDI is not justified based on our results, and in this population of whiplash subjects, the NDI was unidimensional, demonstrating high internal consistency and supporting the original validation study of Vernon and Mior.

Keywords: Disability evaluation; Key indexing terms; Surveys and questionnaire; Whiplash injuries.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Fairbank JCT, Davies JB, Couper J, O'Brien JP. The Oswestry low back pain disability questionnaire. Physiotherapy. 1980;66(8):271–273. - PubMed
    1. Fairbank JCT, Pynsent PB. The Oswestry Disability Index. Spine. 2000;25(22):2940–2953. - PubMed
    1. Vernon H, Mior S. The Neck Disability Index: a study of reliability and validity. J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 1991;14(7):409–415. [PubMed PMID: 1834753] - PubMed
    1. Pietrobon R, Coeytaux RR, Carey TS, Richardson WJ, DeVellis RF. Standard scales for measurement of functional outcome for cervical pain or dysfunction: a systematic review. Spine. 2002;27:515–522. - PubMed
    1. Willis C, Niere KR, Hoving JL, Green S, O'Leary EF, Buchbinder R. Reproducibility and responsiveness of the Whiplash Disability Questionnaire. Pain. 2004;110(3):681–688. [PubMed PMID: 15288409] - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources