Construct validity and reliability of the slovenian version of the Chronic Pain Acceptance Questionnaire (CPAQ)

Abstract

The psychological concept of acceptance has been increasingly considered in the process of chronic pain acceptance. The concept includes exposure to pain experienced without attempts of avoidance or control, and persistence in the physical activity in spite of chronic pain. At the University Rehabilitation Institute (URI) in Ljubljana, we are using the Slovenian version of the Chronic Pain Acceptance Questionnaire (CPAQ; McCracken et al., 2004) for measuring the concept of acceptance. The aim of our study was to investigate its construct validity (fit of the two-factor model, i.e., the division of the 20 items into the Pain Willingness and Activity Engagement scales) and its internal-consistency and retest reliability. The study included 241 participants who were examined at the outpatient clinic for patients with chronic non-malignant pain at the URI between March 2011 and June 2013. All of them completed the CPAQ. Confirmatory factor analysis and item analysis both pointed to inadequacy of the item No. 16, which should be either excluded or reworded. In general, reliability of the questionnaire (internal consistency of the two scales and of the total score, as well as retest reliability) proved to be adequate for research application.

Keywords

• chronic pain
• coping behavior
• questionnaires
• translation
• test reliability