A validation study of the Cantonese Chinese version of short form McGill pain questionnaire 2 in Cantonese-speaking patients with chronic pain in Hong Kong

• Published in: Pain practice Vol. 24; no. 3; pp. 449 - 457
• Main Authors: Tsui, Fiona Pui Yee, Wong, Stanley Sau Ching, Chan, Timmy Chi Wing, Lee, Yvonne, Cheung, Chi Wai
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01-03-2024
• Subjects: psychometric; Short form McGill pain questionnaire; chronic pain; neuropathic pain; reliability; Chinese; validity; Cantonese
• ISSN: 1530-7085; 1533-2500
• DOI: 10.1111/papr.13319

The study tests the reliability and validity of the Cantonese Chinese version of Short Form McGill Pain Questionnaire 2 (SF-MPQ-2-CC).
The original Short Form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ-2) was translated into Cantonese Chinese version. Cantonese-speaking chronic pain patients from three pain centers in Hong Kong were recruited and asked to complete SF-MPQ-2-CC, validated Chinese versions of Identification Pain questionnaire (ID Pain), Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS), and Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) for evaluation of convergent and divergent validity, 2 weeks apart for evaluation of internal consistency.
A total of 333 and 197 participants completed the first and second set of questionnaires, respectively. SF-MPQ-2-CC was shown to have excellent internal consistency, with an overall Cronbach's alpha value of 0.933. The overall correlation coefficient was 0.875 that shows good test-retest reliability. Construct validity was evaluated using confirmatory factor analysis, where a seconder-order factor model demonstrated a good fit with our data (χ
 = 826.51, p < 0.001, CFI = 0.92, TLI = 0.908, RMSEA = 0.097; SRMR = 0.063; error terms adjusted). SF-MPQ-2-CC also showed good convergent validity with Chinese versions of ID Pain (neuropathic pain) and PCS (continuous pain), and divergent validity was shown by a negative correlation with Chinese version of SF-36.
Our study demonstrated that SF-MPQ-2-CC is a valid and reliable pain assessment tool for Cantonese-speaking patients in Hong Kong with a wide range of chronic pain conditions. It also helps to identify the presence of neuropathic pain and negative pain cognition among respondents.