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. 2020 Jul 23:2020:1050935.
doi: 10.1155/2020/1050935. eCollection 2020.

Translation, Cross-Cultural Adaptation, and Validation of the Pain Sensitivity Questionnaire in Dutch Healthy Volunteers

Regina L M Van Boekel  1 , Hans Timmerman  1   2 , Ewald M Bronkhorst  3 , Ruth Ruscheweyh  4 , Kris C P Vissers  1 , Monique A H Steegers  1   5
Affiliations

Translation, Cross-Cultural Adaptation, and Validation of the Pain Sensitivity Questionnaire in Dutch Healthy Volunteers

Regina L M Van Boekel et al. Pain Res Manag. .

Abstract

An increased sensitivity to painful stimuli has been proposed to be related to the development of chronic pain. Therefore, assessment of individual pain sensitivity is useful in clinical practice. However, experimental pain testing may be uncomfortable for patients and requires specific equipment. The Pain Sensitivity Questionnaire (PSQ) has been developed to facilitate assessment of pain sensitivity. In this study, we aimed to translate and cross-culturally adapt the PSQ from its published German and English versions into the Dutch language and to assess validity of the PSQ in healthy volunteers. After translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the PSQ following international guidelines, we validated the PSQ in 394 healthy volunteers by comparing the PSQ-values with two different experimental pain tests: electrical pain tolerance (EPT) and pressure pain threshold (PPT). In addition, ratings of pain intensity during these tests were obtained on the numerical rating scale (NRS, 0-10). We found that the reliability of the PSQ based on internal consistency was good (Cronbach's alpha 0.90). PSQ-scores, adjusted for age and sex, were statistically significant and weakly inversely correlated to EPT (PSQ-moderate: rho = -0.24, p=0.007; PSQ-total: rho = -0.22, p=0.016). No statistically significant correlation between PSQ-scores and PPT was found. Concerning the pain scores, PSQ-scores were weakly to moderately correlated to EPT-NRS (PSQ-minor: rho = 0.21, p=0.021; PSQ-moderate: rho = 0.22, p=0.016; PSQ-total: rho = 0.23, p=0.009) as well as PPT-NRS (PSQ-minor: rho = 0.32, p < 0.001; PSQ-moderate: rho = 0.36, p < 0.001; PSQ-total: rho = 0.37, p < 0.001). Therefore, we concluded that the Dutch version of the PSQ is culturally appropriate for assessing self-reported pain sensitivity in healthy volunteers.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow diagram of the translation and cross-cultural adaptation process.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Flow diagram of the validation study. EPT: electrical pain tolerance measurement; PPT: pressure pain threshold measurement.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Illustration of the correlations between total score of the Pain Sensitivity Questionnaire (PSQ) and results of experimental electrical pain testing. (a) Correlation between the total score of PSQ (PSQ-total) and the electrical pain tolerance (EPT). (b) Correlation between the total score of PSQ (PSQ-total) and the electrical pain tolerance numerical rating scale (EPT-NRS). Linear regression lines are displayed, and Spearman's correlation coefficients (rho) as well as p values are given (n = 132).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Illustration of the correlations between total score of the Pain Sensitivity Questionnaire (PSQ) and results of experimental pressure pain testing. (a) Correlation between the total score of PSQ (PSQ-total) and the pressure pain threshold (PTT). (b) Correlation between the total score of PSQ (PSQ-total) and the pressure pain threshold numerical rating scale (PTT-NRS). Linear regression lines are displayed, and Spearman's correlation coefficients (rho) as well as p values are given (n = 262).
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