The Functional Assessment Screening Questionnaire: application for evaluating pain-related disability

Abstract

The Functional Assessment Screening Questionnaire (FASQ) is a 15-item checklist which was developed for primary care populations and may serve as a questionnaire method for evaluating disability which is associated with chronic pain. One hundred fifty-eight patients completed the FASQ as part of an initial multidisciplinary evaluation of chronic pain. Reliability was reaffirmed through split-half and alternate-form methods. Responses were examined to explore relationships to aspects of disability. Although job functions were not directly assessed, the scores of employed vs unemployed respondents differed significantly. Findings were related to Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory scale scores but appeared to reflect a separate phenomenon. Scale 1 (Hs) was the most useful scale for predicting level of reported impairment. Nonparametric methods showed levels of functioning varying significantly by site of pain complaint. Patients with back pain reported the most difficulty; those with head pain and genital pain reported the least difficulty. An internal structure appropriate to chronic pain populations was discerned, with two general factors measuring either physical-motoric or cognitive-social aspects of disability. Aside from constraints associated with the use of self-report methods, the FASQ may be helpful as part of efforts to portray pain-related disability.