Table of Contents

Instructions:

Please rate how confident you are that you can do the following things at present, despite the pain. To indicate your answer, tap one of the options on the scale under each item, from “not at all confident” to “completely confident”.

	Not at all Confident	1	2	3	4	5	Completel y Confident
I can enjoy things, despite the pain.	0	1	2	3	4	5	6
I can do most of the household chores (e.g. tidying-up, washing dishes, etc.), despite the pain.	0	1	2	3	4	5	6
I can socialise with my friends or family members as often as I used to do, despite the pain.	0	1	2	3	4	5	6
I can cope with my pain in most situations.	0	1	2	3	4	5	6
I can do some form of work, despite the pain. (‘work’ includes housework, paid and unpaid work).	0	1	2	3	4	5	6
I can still do many of the things I enjoy doing, such as hobbies or leisure activity, despite pain.	0	1	2	3	4	5	6
I can cope with my pain without medication.	0	1	2	3	4	5	6
I can still accomplish most of my goals in life, despite the pain.	0	1	2	3	4	5	6
I can live a normal lifestyle, despite the pain.	0	1	2	3	4	5	6
I can gradually become more active, despite the pain.	0	1	2	3	4	5	6

Description

The Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (PSEQ) is a 10-item questionnaire, developed to assess the confidence people with ongoing pain have in performing activities while in pain. The PSEQ is applicable to all persisting pain presentation. It covers a range of functions, including household chores, socializing, work, as well as coping with pain without medication. It takes two minutes to complete.

Validity and Reliability

Internal consistency is high (0.92 Cronbach’s alpha) and test-retest reliability is high of a 3-month period. Validity is reflected in high correlations with measures of pain-related disability, different coping strategies, and another more activity-specific measure of self-efficacy beliefs, the Self-Efficacy Scale. The evidence of the PSEQ’s sensitivity to change provides support for its construct validity. Vong et., (2009) conducted a validation study using a Chinese sample with a mean age of the 120 participants (39 men, 81 women) was 41.9 years. The mean duration of pain was 31 months. The pain locations included the lower back (n=47, 38.3%), neck (n=11, 9.2%), shoulder (n=10, 8.3%), knee (n=8, 6.7%), foot (n=8, 6.7%), wrist (n=3, 2.5%), and other areas (n=14, 11.6%). Among the participants, the mean of total Chinese Pain Self- Efficacy Questionnaire score was 40.1 (SD 11.0). It demonstrated good internal consistency reliability and construct-related validity.

Interpretation

The score can range from 0 – 60 and is computed by simple addition. High PSEQ scores are strongly associated with clinically significant functional levels and provide a useful gauge for evaluating outcomes in chronic pain patients. Higher scores (and a higher percentile) represent higher confidence to function with pain. Scores around 40, as found in injured workers who returned to work (Cohen et al, 2000; Adams and Williams, 2003) are associated with return to work and maintenance of functional gains, whilst lower scores after treatment (e.g., 30) tend to predict less sustainable gains (Couglan et al, 1995). Results consist of the total raw score and a percentile score. The percentile is derived from Vong et al., (2009), where the mean score was 40.1 (SD=11.0) in those with chronic pain.

Developer

Nicholas, M. K. (2007). The pain self-efficacy questionnaire: Taking pain into account. European Journal of Pain, 11(2), 153-163.

Number Of Questions

References

Vong, S. K. S., Cheing, G. L. Y., Chan, C. C. H., Chan, F. & Leung, A. S. L. (2009). Measurement structure of the Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire in a sample of Chinese patients with chronic pain. Clinical Rehabilitation 23, 1034-1043. Adams and Williams, 2003 Cohen et al, 2000 Couglan et al, 1995

Developer Reference:

Nicholas, M. K. (2007). The pain self-efficacy questionnaire: Taking pain into account. European Journal of Pain, 11(2), 153-163.

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