Evaluation of reliability, validity, and preference for a pediatric pain intensity scale: the Catalan version of the faces pain scale – revised

Abstract

The main objective of this research was to determine the initial psychometric properties of the Faces Pain Scale – Revised (FPS-R) as a measure of pain intensity for use with Catalan children and adolescents. Results of the Catalan version of this scale (FPS-R-C) are similar to those obtained with the original instrument. In order to assess the validity and reliability of the FPS-R-C, two different samples were studied. The first sample contained 124 hospitalized children and adolescents (mean age 10.86; SD 2.5). They were asked to rate their affective state on the Faces Affective Scale (FAS) and the intensity of their pain on the FPS-R-C and the Coloured Analogue Scale (CAS). The pain intensity ratings reported with FPS-R-C and CAS were very similar, correlations ranging from 0.83 to 0.9. The relationship between the intensity of pain experienced and children's affective state was also statistically significant ( r=0.32, P<0.01). The second sample contained 247 schoolchildren (mean age 9.43; SD 1.55), who were asked to imagine themselves in eight hypothetical painful situations and rate the degree of pain using the FPS-R-C and the CAS (correlations ranging from 0.83 to 0.96). Test–retest correlations on this questionnaire (Painful Events Inventory) ranged from 0.26 to 0.70. Overall, these results provide preliminary evidence of the reliability, and convergent and criterion-related validity of the FPS-R-C. Moreover, all participating subjects were asked to choose the pain scale they preferred the most. Our data suggest that, regardless of their age and/or gender, the subjects prefer the FPS-R-C to the CAS.