# Development and validation of the PrePain questionnaire for predicting pain

## TL;DR

The PrePain questionnaire is a new tool to assess pain-related attitudes and behaviors, showing moderate reliability and validity in both general and long-term pain populations.

## Contribution

The study introduces and validates the PrePain questionnaire as a self-administered tool for assessing pain-related factors.

## Key findings

- The PrePain questionnaire showed acceptable face validity and moderate test-retest reliability.
- Principal component analysis suggested a two or three-factor structure for the questionnaire.
- Criterion validity was supported by significant correlations with existing measures like SHAI-14 and CSQ.

## Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties and construct validity of the PrePain questionnaire in both the general population and a long-term pain population. The PrePain questionnaire is an 11-item self-administered tool that assesses current pain intensity, long-term pain history, and attitudes, emotions, and behaviors related to pain using a visual analog scale (VAS). This non-randomized observational study included 200 participants: 100 individuals with long-term pain and 100 without. Participants were recruited from a specialist pain rehabilitation clinic and via social media. The study involved baseline and follow-up assessments using the PrePain questionnaire, the Short Health Anxiety Inventory (SHAI-14), and the Coping Strategies Questionnaire (CSQ). Statistical analyses included Spearman correlation for test-retest reliability, sign rank-test for sensitivity to change, Cronbach’s α for internal consistency, principal component analysis for subscale analysis, and mixed-effects linear regression for test of criterion validity. A total of 187 participants completed the study. The PrePain questionnaire demonstrated acceptable face validity and moderate test-retest reliability (coefficients ranging from 0.58 to 0.73). Internal consistency was α = 0.63. Principal component analysis suggested a two or three-factor solution. Criterion validity was supported by significant correlations between PrePain items and SHAI-14 and CSQ catastrophizing, except for the pain sensitivity item. No significant changes were observed in the clinical group between baseline and follow-up assessments. The resuts provide preliminary evidence for the reliability of The PrePain questionnaire and its validity for assessing attitudes, emotions, and behaviors related to pain in both clinical and non-clinical populations. Further research is needed to explore its sensitivity to change and utility in clinical practice.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1038/s41598-025-09044-5.