Factorial validity of the English-language version of the Pain Catastrophizing Scale--child version

The Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS) was developed in English to assess 3 components of catastrophizing (rumination, magnification, helplessness). It has been adapted for use and validated with Flemish-speaking children (Pain Catastrophizing Scale for Children [PCS-C]) and French-speaking adolescents. The PCS-C has been back-translated to English and used extensively in research with English-speaking children; however, the factorial validity of the English PCS-C has not been empirically examined. This study assessed the factor structure of the English PCS-C among a community sample of 1,006 English-speaking children (aged 8-18 years). Exploratory factor analysis was conducted using a random subsample (n = 504) to assess the underlying factor structure. Items with poor factor loadings were removed. Confirmatory factor analysis, using the second subsample (n = 502), was used to cross-validate the factor structure revealed by exploratory factor analysis and compare it to the original 3-factor model and other model variants. Exploratory factor analysis revealed that the original PCS-C and a revised 3-factor model comprising 11 of the original 13 PCS-C items, all loading on their original factors, provided adequate fit to the data. The revised model provided statistically better fit to the data compared to all other model variants, suggesting that the English PCS-C may be better understood using a revised 11-item oblique 3-factor model.

This is the first examination of the factorial validity of the widely used English version of the PCS-C in a large community sample of English-speaking children. A revised 11-item, 3-factor model provided statistically better fit to the data compared to the original model and other model variants.