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Graded Chronic Pain Scale: Validation of 1-Month Reference Frame
Sonia Sharma1,2, Michael A Kallen3, Richard Ohrbach1
1Department of Oral Diagnostic Sciences, University at Buffalo, School of Dental Medicine, Buffalo, NY.
The Clinical Journal of Pain
|November 22, 2021
Summary
The 1-month Graded Chronic Pain Scale (GCPS) shows strong reliability, comparable to the 6-month version for pain intensity and interference. However, consistency is lower for disability days and pain grade measures.
Area of Science:
- Pain Research
- Psychometrics
- Clinical Assessment Tools
Background:
- The 1-month Graded Chronic Pain Scale (GCPS) is widely used but lacks validation.
- Assessing chronic pain accurately is crucial for effective treatment and research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To validate the 1-month GCPS by comparing its reliability and validity against the 6-month version.
- To determine the suitability of the 1-month GCPS for clinical use.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional and test-retest data from 521 and 74 participants with temporomandibular disorders, respectively.
- Evaluation of internal reliability, temporal stability, and construct validity of the 1-month GCPS.
- Comparison of the 1-month and 6-month GCPS versions for characteristic pain intensity (CPI), interference, and chronic pain grade (CPG).
Main Results:
- The 1-month GCPS demonstrated high internal consistency (Cronbach α=0.87-0.94) and temporal stability (ICC=0.85-0.91).
- Agreement between the 1-month and 6-month versions was good for CPI (ICC=0.78) but lower for interference (ICC=0.66) and CPG (κ=0.69).
- Construct validity was supported for the 1-month version's CPI, interference, and CPG measures.
Conclusions:
- The 1-month GCPS offers reliability comparable to or better than the 6-month version for pain intensity and interference.
- Due to lower consistency in disability days and derived measures, the 1-month GCPS is recommended primarily for assessing pain intensity and interference.
