Assessing individual differences in attention to pain: psychometric properties of the Pain Vigilance and Awareness Questionnaire modified for a non-clinical pain sample

Recently proposed models [e.g. Eccleston, C., & Crombez, G. (1999). Pain de mands attention: a cognitive-affective model of the interruptive function o f pain. Psychological Bulletin. 125, 356-366; McCracken, L.M. (1997). Atten tion to pain in persons with chronic pain: a behavioural approach. Behaviou r Therapy, 28, 271-284)] implicating attention to pain as an important fact or in the development of chronic pain highlight the need for a self-report measure that assesses the tendency to attend to pain. The Pain Vigilance an d Awareness Questionnaire (PVAQ: McCracken, 1997) is a potentially useful m easure of pain-related attention. However. its present wording precludes it s use with non-clinical samples and its psychometric properties have not be en examined in samples other than chronic low back pain. In the present stu dy, the Factor structure and psychometric properties of the PVAQ modified f or use with a non-chronic pain sample were evaluated. A series of principal -components analyses supported a hierarchical solution comprised of three l ower-order factors (viz. Awareness of Change, Intrusion, and Monitoring) an d a single higher-order pain vigilance and attention Factor. Cronbach`s alp has indicated that the PVAQ total scale and the three subscales identified in the principal-components analysis had excellent to adequate internal con sistency. Supportive of the validity of the PVAQ, significant positive asso ciations between PVAQ scores and important pain variables (viz.. pain sever ity ratings and change/restriction in lifestyle) were found. Potential appl ications of the modified PVAQ as well as directions for further psychometri c evaluation are discussed. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reser ved.