Medical Outcomes Study Pain Measures – MOS Pain Measures
Measures multiple dimensions of pain, including severity, frequency, duration, and interference with daily activities.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Medical Outcomes Study Pain Measures – MOS Pain Measures was developed by Cathy D. Sherbourne, Anita L. Stewart, John E. Ware Jr. (1992). It is designed to measure Pain severity, frequency, duration, and interference. The scale is intended for use with Adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 12 items organized into 4 factors/subscales: Pain Severity, Pain Frequency, Pain Duration, Pain Interference.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Pain Severity | 1,11,12 | 3 |
| Pain Frequency | 2 | 1 |
| Pain Duration | 3 | 1 |
| 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:
- Scores are typically transformed to a 0-100 scale, where higher scores indicate worse pain or greater interference.: 0 – 100
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of High internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha typically > 0.85 for the interference scale).
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.