Factors associated with the pain catastrophizing scale and validation in a sample of the Turkish population

The aim of this study was to validate the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS) in the Turkish population and to investigate its correlation with the demographic and clinical characteristics of patients.

Volunteer patients, who were scheduled for elective surgery and who applied to the Outpatient Clinic of Anesthesiology for preoperative evaluation, were asked to complete a PCS form. The patient's age, sex, educational level, marital status, presence of chronic pain, and American Society of Anesthesiologists score were recorded, and PCS scores and demographic variables were compared statistically.

Of the 257 patients enrolled in the study, 136 were male, 121 female, and the median age was 40. The 3 subscales in the Turkish version of the PCS consisted of rumination, magnification, and helplessness. Internal consistency of PCS was found to be congruent with Cronbach's alpha = 0.90. Significantly higher PCS scores were found in women with chronic pain. In addition, patients who graduated from primary school had statistically higher scores compared to those who graduated from high school.

In accordance with the original scale, demographic specifications of the Turkish version of the PCS were found congruent. PCS scores in our population were found compatible with the literature review.