The Pain Catastrophizing Scale—short form: psychometric properties and threshold for identifying high-risk individuals

Abstract

Objective:The Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS) measures three aspects of catastrophic cognitions about pain—rumination, magnification, and helplessness. To facilitate assessment and clinical application, we aimed to (a) develop a short version on the basis of its factorial structure and the items’ correlations with key pain-related outcomes, and (b) identify the threshold on the short form indicative of risk for depression.Design:Cross-sectional survey.Setting:Social centers for older people.Participants:664 Chinese older adults with chronic pain.Measurements:Besides the PCS, pain intensity, pain disability, and depressive symptoms were assessed.Results:For the full scale, confirmatory factor analysis showed that the hypothesized 3-factor model fit the data moderately well. On the basis of the factor loadings, two items were selected from each of the three dimensions. An additional item significantly associated with pain disability and depressive symptoms, over and above these six items, was identified through regression analyses. A short-PCS composed of seven items was formed, which correlated at r=0.97 with the full scale. Subsequently, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were plotted against clinically significant depressive symptoms, defined as a score of ≥12 on a 10-item version of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale. This analysis showed a score of ≥7 to be the optimal cutoff for the short-PCS, with sensitivity = 81.6% and specificity = 78.3% when predicting clinically significant depressive symptoms.Conclusions:The short-PCS may be used in lieu of the full scale and as a brief screen to identify individuals with serious catastrophizing.

Comparison of characteristics between neuropathic pain and non-neuropathic pain in patients with diabetic carpal tunnel syndrome: A cross-sectional study

“…The PCS questionnaire was used to evaluate patients' psychological status. The PCS measures catastrophizing phenomena along three dimensions: rumination, magnification, and helplessness ( 17 ). It has been widely applied to evaluate various pain conditions, such as low back pain, diabetic pain, NeuP, and stroke pain, and has been shown to be related to pain outcomes.…”

A Regions of Interest Voxel‐Based Morphometry Study of the Human Brain During High‐Frequency Spinal Cord Stimulation in Patients With Failed Back Surgery Syndrome

“…The resulting total score ranges from 0 to 52, with a cut‐off value of 30 for a clinically relevant degree of catastrophizing. The validity of the questionnaire is considered good, with an internal consistency ranging between 0.6 and 0.87 14–16 …”

“…The validity of the questionnaire is considered good, with an internal consistency ranging between 0.6 and 0.87. [14][15][16] For collecting objective sleep quality parameters, the Actiwatch Spectrum Plus was used for a period of 2 weeks. This device contains an accelerometer and colorsensitive photodiodes to analyze circadian rhythms and sleep-wake patterns.…”

Potential Role of Pain Catastrophic Thinking in Comorbidity Patients of Depression and Chronic Pain

“…For instance, several observational studies have conceptualized catastrophic thoughts to explain the exaggerated negative perceptions and avoidance behavior of patients with comorbidity ( 15 , 16 ). A substantial body of evidence suggests that a depression-relevant scale ( 17 , 18 ), anxiety-related scale, and catastrophic thought scale ( 19 – 21 ) are promising assessment instruments to detect negative feelings in patients with CP or MDD, respectively ( 22 ). These scales hold superior prognostic value for CP or MDD incidence and outcomes compared with many other variables ( 15 ).…”

“…For instance, several observational studies have conceptualized catastrophic thoughts to explain the exaggerated negative perceptions and avoidance behavior of patients with comorbidity (15,16). A substantial body of evidence suggests that a depression-relevant scale (17,18), anxiety-related scale, and catastrophic thought scale (19)(20)(21) are promising assessment instruments to detect negative feelings in patients with CP or MDD, respectively (22). These scales hold superior prognostic value for CP or MDD incidence and Abbreviations: BAI, Beck Anxiety Inventory; BDI-II, Beck Depression Inventory-II; BMI, body mass index; CP, chronic pain; DSM-5, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5; HAMD-24, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale-24; HAMA-14, Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale-14; IASP, International Association for the Study of Pain; MDD, major depressive disorder; MINI, Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview; PASS, Pain Anxiety Symptom Scale; PCS, Pain Catastrophizing Scale; PI-NRS, Pain intensity numerical rating scale.…”