Medical Outcomes Study Pain Measures – MOS Pain Measures
Measures the severity, frequency, duration, and daily interference of bodily pain over a 4-week recall period.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Medical Outcomes Study Pain Measures – MOS Pain Measures was developed by C.D. Sherbourne, A.L. Stewart, J.E. Ware Jr. (1992). It is designed to measure Pain severity and pain interference. The scale is intended for use with Adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 12 items organized into 2 factors/subscales: Pain Severity, Pain Interference.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Pain Severity | 1,2,3,11,12 | 5 |
| Pain Interference | 4,5,6,7,8,9,10 | 7 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Not at all, 2 = A little bit, 3 = Moderately, 4 = Quite a bit, 5 = Extremely.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 0 to 100. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low Pain/Interference: 0 – 25
- Mild Pain/Interference: 26 – 50
- Moderate Pain/Interference: 51 – 75
- Severe Pain/Interference: 76 – 100
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Alpha coefficients range from 0.85 to 0.92 for the subscales..
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 5 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.