Initial evaluation of the Chronic Pain Acceptance Questionnaire - 2

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Pain Management
• Psychometrics

Background:

• Chronic pain acceptance is linked to reduced distress, disability, and improved functioning.
• The Chronic Pain Acceptance Questionnaire (CPAQ) is the standard measure, with 8-item (CPAQ-8) and 20-item (CPAQ-20) versions.
• Brief, reliable measures are needed for clinical settings and repeated assessments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a brief, two-item measure of chronic pain acceptance, the CPAQ-2.
• To assess the CPAQ-2's utility in busy clinical settings and for longitudinal monitoring.
• To evaluate the CPAQ-2's psychometric properties using Item Response Theory (IRT) and regression analyses.

Main Methods:

• An Item Response Theory (IRT) approach was used to select the two strongest items from the CPAQ-20.
• Regression analyses examined the CPAQ-2's variance in relation to CPAQ-8, CPAQ-20, and measures of depression, fear, and disability.
• Data from four clinical databases (N=1,776) were combined for analysis, controlling for demographic and clinical variables.

Main Results:

• Items 9 and 14 from the CPAQ-20 were identified as the optimal items for the CPAQ-2.
• The CPAQ-2 score accounted for over 60% of the variance in both CPAQ-8 and CPAQ-20 scores.
• The CPAQ-2 significantly predicted depression, pain-related fear, physical disability, and psychosocial disability, comparable to longer CPAQ versions.

Conclusions:

• The CPAQ-2 is a brief, valid, and reliable measure for assessing chronic pain acceptance.
• Its brevity and strong psychometric properties make it suitable for clinical practice and longitudinal studies.
• The CPAQ-2 offers a practical alternative for efficiently measuring pain acceptance.