What Is the Most Useful Questionnaire for Measurement of Coping Strategies in Response to Nociception?

Abstract

Background There are several measures of coping strategies in response to nociception. These measures all correlate highly both with each other and with symptom intensity and magnitude of disability in patients with upper limb illness. This study aims to determine if distinct measures of coping strategies in response to nociception address the same underlying aspect of human illness behavior. Questions/purposes Our primary study question was: is there one common aspect of human illness behavior measured by (1) the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS); (2) the Psychological Inflexibility in Pain Scale (PIPS); (3) the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System-Pain Interference (PROMIS-PI) Computer Adaptive Test (CAT); and (4) the Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (PSEQ)? Secondarily, we aimed to determine which of the four questionnaires is most psychometrically sound. We measured correlations among questionnaires, coverage, reliability, completion time, and collinearity of these questionnaires when entered together in a multivariable model with the shortened version of the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (QuickDASH) upper extremity disability questionnaire. Methods In this prospective study, 138 consecutive new or followup English-speaking patients aged 18 years or older presenting to a tertiary care referral center with traumatic and nontraumatic upper extremity conditions were invited to participate between March and May 2014. One hundred thirty-four (97%) patients agreed to participate and completed the four questionnaires in random order before their visit with the physician. We used exploratory factor analysis to assess whether there was a single common trait-an underlying aspect of human illness behaviormeasured by these questionnaires. Interquestionnaire correlation was assessed using Spearman rank correlation coefficients; coverage by assessing floor and ceiling effect (proportion of scores at lower and upper limit); reliability by Cronbach's alpha measure of internal consistency; completion time in seconds using Kruskal-Wallis analysis; and collinearity statistics through a regression model with QuickDASH.

Is Social Support Associated With Upper Extremity Disability?

“…In addition, the PROMIS 1 pain interference and the QuickDASH ask similar questions regarding the ability to engage in activities of daily living, with one focusing only on the effect of pain (eg, pain interference) and the other asking about symptoms and ability to engage in daily upper limb tasks (QuickDASH). In a prior study, Kortlever et al [14] found that measures of catastrophic thinking, self-efficacy about pain, and pain interference were all highly correlated, and they all correlated with the Quick-DASH. However it is unclear whether this indicates that limitations attributable to pain strongly reflect coping strategies or simply that most limitations are attributable to pain.…”

“…Prior research has identified that depression and pain interference are important psychological factors associated with disability in patients with upper extremity illness, opening the door to opportunities to decrease disability through teaching coping skills aimed at improving mood and pain-related mindset [14,29]. Social factors such as feeling cared for, perceiving that others are available to help with tangible tasks, and the ability to see the positives in stressful situations like illness and pain, are important resiliency factors that buffer the effect of stress.…”

Regenerative Peripheral Nerve Interfaces for the Treatment of Postamputation Neuroma Pain: A Pilot Study

“…Pain interference questions were adapted from the publically available Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) instruments. 33 The PROMIS instruments facilitate patient communication regarding outcomes related to injury or illness 34,35 and are useful in evaluating pain, disability, and quality of life in patients with amputations involving the upper extremity 36 and lower extremity. 37 Because shortened pain inventories have been shown to be roughly equivalent or slightly more effective than more exhaustive inventories in detecting patient-reported pain scores, 38 our questionnaire was fashioned to simplify reporting, decrease interviewee fatigue, and optimize response rate.…”

Association of Physical Function, Anxiety, and Pain Interference in Nonshoulder Upper Extremity Patients Using the PROMIS Platform

“…Pain interference (PI), or the extent to which pain interferes with accomplishing goals, has a strong influence on perceived disability among hand and wrist patients 11 and can be efficiently quantified using the PROMIS PI CAT. 12 PROMIS PI scores independently predicted inferior PROMIS PF and UE CAT scores amongst outpatients seeking hand surgical care, albeit in limited populations of 84 and 93 patients at a single center, respectively. 9,13 …”