On the utility of the West Haven-Yale Multidimensional Pain Inventory

Abstract

Study design: Two studies evaluated the West Haven-Yale Multidimensional Pain Inventory. This 52-item inventory contains 12 scales divided into 3 parts: 1) interference, support, pain severity, self-control, and negative mood; 2) punishing responses, solicitous responses, and distracting responses; and 3) household chores, outdoor work, activities away from home, and social activities.

Objectives: The objective of study 1 was to investigate the internal structure of the Multidimensional Pain Inventory and its demographic correlates. The objective of study 2 was to explore its external correlates (construct validity).

Summary of background data: The Multidimensional Pain Inventory appears promising because of its brevity, scope, ease of administration, and initial results. Despite this, it has attracted very little attention in the orthopedic literature since its introduction nearly a decade ago.

Method: The internal structure was examined using oblique multiple group confirmatory factor analysis. Demographic correlates were examined using discriminant analysis. The external correlates were examined using multiple regression and discriminant analysis.

Results: The items' proposed structure fit well except that two pairs of scales are poorly separated: 1) activities away from home and social activities, and 2) solicitous responses and distracting responses. Correlations with external criteria are meaningful.

Conclusions: The Multidimensional Pain Inventory meets standards of reliability and convergent validity, and it may be an improvement over current psychometric devices used to this same end.