A comparison of the McGill Pain Questionnaire in chronic and acute pain

The McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ) is widely used in pain research and treatment. The internal structure of the questionnaire has been subjected to empirical investigation, with sensory and reactive factors documented. In the present study, questionnaire responses of 95 women experiencing acute (post episiotomy) pain are analyzed. Episiotomy pain patients utilized sensory subgroups more frequently than comparison groups of women experiencing dysmenorrhea (n = 166) or chronic pelvic pain without obvious pathology (N = 31). Chronic pain patients used affective and reaction subgroups with greater frequency. The episiotomy/MPQ scores were subjected to factor analysis and 6 factors were derived, reflecting specific sensory qualities and combined emotional/sensory dimensions. The factor structure to emerge was less distinctive than previously reported on chronic pain patients. It is suggested that acute pain involves less differentiation of sensory, affective and evaluative language dimensions. Rating scales were also administered. Ratings of labor and episiotomy pain were uncorrelated indicating the importance of distinguishing between these in studying pain in the puerperium.