The results support the reliability and validity of the translated Coping Strategies Questionnaire and Chronic Pain Coping Inventory and also indicate a number of similarities, but also some interesting differences, in the findings from the Portuguese vs US samples, suggesting that there may be cultural differences in how people cope with pain.

The findings provide support for the importance of the psychosocial factors studied in terms of adjustment to chronic pain in Portuguese patients, and also suggest the possibility of some differences in the role of these factors due to culture.

BackgroundEmpathy is a key aspect of the physician-patient interactions. The Jefferson Scale of Empathy (JSE) is one of the most used empathy measures of medical students. The development of cross-cultural empathy studies depends on valid and reliable translations of the JSE. This study sought to: (1) adapt and assess the psychometric properties in Spanish students of the Spanish JSE validated in Mexican students; (2) test a second order latent factor model.MethodsThe Spanish JSE was adapted from the Spanish JSE-S, resulting in a final version of the measure. A non-probabilistic sample of 1104 medical students of two Spanish medical schools completed a socio-demographic and the Spanish JSE-S. Descriptive statistics, along with a confirmatory factor analysis, the average variance extracted (AVE), Cronbach’s alphas and composite reliability (CR) coefficients were computed. An independent samples t-test was performed to access sex differences.ResultsThe Spanish JSE-S demonstrated acceptable to good sensitivity (individual items – except for item 2 – and JSE-S total score: −2.72 < Sk < 0.35 and −0.77 < Ku < 7.85), convergent validity (AVE: between 0.28 and 0.45) and reliability (Cronbach’s alphas: between 0.62 and 0.78; CR: between 0.62 and 0.87). The confirmatory factor analysis supported the three-factor solution and the second order latent factor model.ConclusionsThe findings provide support for the sensitivity, construct validity and reliability of the adapted Spanish JSE-S with Spanish medical students. Data confirm the hypothesized second order latent factor model. This version may be useful in future research examining empathy in Spanish medical students, as well as in cross-cultural studies.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12909-016-0763-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Chronic pain is a significant health problem which interferes with patients daily functioning and quality of life. Valid and reliable measures of pain-related interference are needed to provide adequate care to patients and monitor changes in pain and functioning over time. This study sought to evaluate the reliability and validity of a Portuguese version of the Brief Pain Inventory (P-BPI) interference scale. Two hundred and fourteen patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain completed the P-BPI, 0-10 NRS of pain intensity, Short Form-12 Health Status Questionnaire (SF-12), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). The P-BPI demonstrated excellent internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = .91) and showed moderate associations with the criterion measures (all rs .30 or larger), supporting its construct validity. Confirmatory factor analysis of the P-BPI items yielded a single factor, further supporting its construct validity. The results provide strong support for the reliability and validity of the P-BPI interference scale.Resumen. El dolor crónico es un importante problema de salud que afecta al funcionamiento diario de la persona con dolor, a su bienestar psicológico y a la calidad de vida. Con el fin de prestar cuidados sanitarios adecuados, a monitorear los cambios en el dolor y en el funcionamiento y en vista a la investigación transcultural, se necessitan instrumentos válidos y fiables de evaluación de la interferencia del dolor. El objetivo de este estudio es evaluar la fiabilidad y validez de la versión portuguesa de la Escala de Interferencia de lo Brief Pain Inventory (P-BPI). Doscientos catorze participantes con dolor crónico músculoesquelético respondieron al P-BPI, al 0-10 NRS, al Short Form-12 Health Status Questionnaire (SF-12) y al Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). El P-BPI mostró una excelente consistencia interna (alfa de Cronbach = 0.91) y correlaciones moderadas con las medidas de critério (rs ≥ 0.30). El análisis factorial confirmatorio apoyó la solución de un factor. Los resultados apoyan la fiabilidad y validez de construto de la Escala de Interferencia del P-BPI. Es necesario que futuras investigaciónes evaluen la responsividad de la escala a los cambios en la interferencia del dolor a lo largo del tiempo. Palabras clave: Versión portuguesa del Brief Pain Inventory, interferencia del dolor, fiabilidad, validez, estudio instrumental.

This paper analyses the impact of unemployment on the gender division of household work. A sample of 643 dual full-time employed couples and 160 with an unemployed partner was considered. Variance analysis and chi-square tests were performed to analyse the differential impact of the spouses' employment status on the time devoted to domestic and parental work and on the division of household chores among partners. Results show that male unemployment increases men's participation in domestic work only on weekdays while female unemployment constrains women into domestic activities both on week and weekend days. Gender patterns of task division also showed to relate significantly to partners' employment status.Keywords: domestic work, household chores, unemployment, gender inequality. Resumo Desemprego e Igualdade de Género na Família em PortugalO artigo analisa o impacto do desemprego na divisão sexual do trabalho familiar. Foi utilizada uma amostra de 643 casais com duplo emprego a tempo completo e 160 com um parceiro desempregado. Recorreu-se a análises de variância e testes de qui-quadrado para analisar o impacto diferencial da situação dos cônjuges face ao emprego sobre o tempo dedicado ao trabalho doméstico e parental e a divisão das tarefas familiares. Os resultados mostram que o desemprego dos homens aumenta a sua participação somente nos dias de semana, enquanto o desemprego feminino restringe as mulheres às atividades domésticas, todo o tempo. Os padrões de género na repartição de tarefas também revelaram depender de forma significativa da situação profissional dos cônjuges.