Development of the Norwegian Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire (NSF-MPQ)

Abstract

The Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ) contains 15 pain descriptors (11 Sensory, four Affective). The aim was to develop a valid Norwegian SF-MPQ (NSF-MPQ). Descriptors were selected among 333 previously collected Norwegian pain adjectives, selection criteria being conceptual equivalence to the SF-MPQ and adjectives used by > 33%. Pain intensity scoring systems of the SF-MPQ were modelled. The NSF-MPQ, a pain drawing and the Disability Rating Index were presented to 277 patients from five different clinical settings. All pain descriptors were used by ≥ 33% in at least one of the five clinical groups, patients with persistent pain using most descriptors. Cronbach's α was adequately high (0.74–0.87). Spearman rank (ρ) correlations were moderate to very high between groups of pain descriptors (0.68–0.97). Pain descriptor scores showed low to moderate correlations with the two pain intensity variables (VAS and Present Pain Intensity) (0.27–0.52). All scores showed low correlations with pain area extension (0.20–0.45) and disability (0.05–0.30), indicating construct validity of the NSF-MPQ. The NSF-MPQ discriminated between two or more patient groups on item level, but discriminative ability on total score and subscore levels was mediocre. The NSF-MPQ seems to express a different construct than pain distribution and disability, and allows registration of distinctions of pain qualities.

• Concurrent validity
• discriminative ability
• internal consistency
• pain measurement