Skip to main content
Journal cover image

The development and assessment of the Worry About Pain Questionnaire.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Lefebvre, JC; Jensen, MP; Waters, SJ; Molton, IR; Keefe, FJ; Caldwell, DS
Published in: Eur J Pain
August 2017

BACKGROUND: Worry can be conceptualized as a cognitive-affective automatic process initiated in order to address uncertainty and potential personal inadequacies that could result in negative outcomes. The purpose of the current study was to develop a measure of pain-specific worry - the Worry About Pain Questionnaire (WAPQ). METHOD: In study 1, responses of 335 pain-free participants were used to complete an item analysis and exploratory factors analysis to develop and assess the internal structure of the WAPQ. Study 2 included 224 pain-free participants who completed the WAPQ in order to confirm its factor structure, and to examine its relation to the experience of acute experimental pain. In study 3, 137 individuals with persistent pain were asked to complete the WAPQ as well as measures of pain and depressive symptoms. RESULTS: The resulting 15-item measure assesses uncertainties and potential negative outcomes related to the experience of pain. The results of the exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses showed a two-factor structure. Across all studies, the WAPQ was found to be related to measures of pain in clinical and non-clinical samples, acute experimental pain stimuli, as well as pain anxiety, pain catastrophizing, fear of pain, rumination and depressive symptomatology. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that the WAPQ is a reliable and valid measure for the assessment of worry about pain that can be used to understand how pain-specific worries are related to the experience and impact of pain across different populations. SIGNIFICANCE: Worry has been assessed in pain populations using measures that assess worry in general. The current study shows a relationship between pain-specific worry and the experience of pain. Further, worry about pain is related to but not synonymous with pain catastrophizing.

Duke Scholars

Altmetric Attention Stats
Dimensions Citation Stats

Published In

Eur J Pain

DOI

EISSN

1532-2149

Publication Date

August 2017

Volume

21

Issue

7

Start / End Page

1154 / 1164

Location

England

Related Subject Headings

  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Pain
  • Outcome Assessment, Health Care
  • Humans
  • Factor Analysis, Statistical
  • Depression
  • Catastrophization
  • Anxiety Disorders
  • Anxiety
  • Anesthesiology
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
NLM
Lefebvre, J. C., Jensen, M. P., Waters, S. J., Molton, I. R., Keefe, F. J., & Caldwell, D. S. (2017). The development and assessment of the Worry About Pain Questionnaire. Eur J Pain, 21(7), 1154–1164. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejp.1015
Lefebvre, J. C., M. P. Jensen, S. J. Waters, I. R. Molton, F. J. Keefe, and D. S. Caldwell. “The development and assessment of the Worry About Pain Questionnaire.Eur J Pain 21, no. 7 (August 2017): 1154–64. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejp.1015.
Lefebvre JC, Jensen MP, Waters SJ, Molton IR, Keefe FJ, Caldwell DS. The development and assessment of the Worry About Pain Questionnaire. Eur J Pain. 2017 Aug;21(7):1154–64.
Lefebvre, J. C., et al. “The development and assessment of the Worry About Pain Questionnaire.Eur J Pain, vol. 21, no. 7, Aug. 2017, pp. 1154–64. Pubmed, doi:10.1002/ejp.1015.
Lefebvre JC, Jensen MP, Waters SJ, Molton IR, Keefe FJ, Caldwell DS. The development and assessment of the Worry About Pain Questionnaire. Eur J Pain. 2017 Aug;21(7):1154–1164.
Journal cover image

Published In

Eur J Pain

DOI

EISSN

1532-2149

Publication Date

August 2017

Volume

21

Issue

7

Start / End Page

1154 / 1164

Location

England

Related Subject Headings

  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Pain
  • Outcome Assessment, Health Care
  • Humans
  • Factor Analysis, Statistical
  • Depression
  • Catastrophization
  • Anxiety Disorders
  • Anxiety
  • Anesthesiology