MEASURING CHRONIC RHEUMATIC PAIN IN MEXICAN-AMERICANS - CROSS-CULTURAL ADAPTATION OF THE MCGILL PAIN QUESTIONNAIRE

We performed a cross-cultural adaptation of the McGill Pain Questionna ire (MPQ) from Englsh to Spanish for studying Mexican Americans in Sou th Texas. Each of the 78 single-word pain descriptors in the original MPQ was translated into Spanish by a panel of nine bilingual health re searchers, preserving the original structure of the questionnaire. The pain intensity content (PIC) of the words in each language was then r ated on a 100 mm visual analog scale by 8 bilingual hearth care provid ers and 10 bilingual healthcare consumers. The correlation between Spa nish and English average PIC ratings was strong (r = 0.85 for provider s, r = 0.80 for consumers). The translated Spanish version was compare d to the original English in a group of 50 bilingual Mexican-American patients with musculoskeletal pain, who completed the MPQ in both lang uages. There was no difference in Average Pain Rating Index between th e Spanish and English versions (29.8 +/- 14.7 vs 29.1 +/- 15.8, p = 0. 55), and agreement between the two language versions was almost perfec t (r(i) = 0.85). Test-retest reliability was measured in two groups of hospitalized patients (25 per group), one composed of monolingual Spa nish speakers and the other of monolingual English speakers. Each subj ect completed the MPQ, the McGill Pain Map, two 10-cm visual analog sc ales measuring pain now and within the past week, the bodily pain item s of the MOS-SF36 survey, and the Modified Health Assessment Questionn aire, on two occasions one day apart. Test-retest reliability of the S panish and English components of the MPQ was not significantly differe nt and was comparable to that of the other pain and health status inst ruments. We conclude that the Spanish MPQ is cross-culturally equivale nt to the original English and has similar concurrent validity and rel iability. This questionnaire is suitable for cross cultural studies of pain comparing Spanish-speaking Mexican Americans with English-speaki ng members of the same and other ethnic groups. Copyright (C) 1996 Els evier Science Inc.