Which Scale to Assess Pain Self-efficacy Shows Better Measurement Properties in Chronic Low Back Pain? A head-to-head comparison study between Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire and Chronic Pain Self-Efficacy Scale

Background: There are two generic questionnaires available in the literature to assess pain self-efficacy: Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (PSEQ) and the Chronic Pain Self-Efficacy Scale (CPSS). PSEQ is preferred rather than the CPSS. However, it is based in arbitrary judgement and not comparisons regarding the quality of their measurement properties. Hence, the aim of this study was to compare the quality of the measurement properties of PSEQ-10, PSEQ-4 and PSEQ-2 and CPSS (long-form: CPSS-LF and short-form: CPSS-SF) in patients with CLBP. Methods: Two-hundred twenty patients with CLBP (18 and 60 years) were enrolled in this study. The participants were assessed in three occasions: baseline assessment, one-week after the first assessment (reliability) and after a six-week exercise program (responsiveness). The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Cronbach’s α were used to assess reliability and internal consistency, respectively. Spearman’s correlation and confirmatory factor analysis were used to assess construct validity. The area under the curve (AUC) were used to assess responsiveness. Results: None difference was observed for all the questionnaires regarding internal consistency (Cronbach’s α > .7), criterion validity (r > .88) and responsiveness (AUC > .7). The scales confirmed more than 75% of the hypotheses for the construct validity, except for CPSS-SF. PSEQ-2 did not meet the criterion for reliability and structural validity. Conclusion: This study showed that PSEQ-2 did not meet the criterion for suitable structural validity and reliability and CPSS-SF for construct validity. Hence, considering the administration burden of the long questionnaires like CPSS, our results recommend the use of PSEQ-10 and PSEQ-4.