Translation, Cross-Cultural Adaptation, Reliability, and Validity of the German Version of the Coping Strategies Questionnaire (CSQ-D)

Abstract

The aim of this study was to translate and cross-culturally adapt the American version of the Coping Strategies Questionnaire (CSQ) and to test the reliability and validity of the German version (CSQ-D). The CSQ was translated and cross-culturally adapted following international guidelines. Reliability and validity were tested in 62 individuals with chronic musculoskeletal pain syndromes. For the concurrent criterion–related validity the CSQ-D scales were compared with the German Pain Coping Questionnaire (FESV-BW), and for the construct validity with the German Short Form 36 (SF-36). The translation process proceeded without major difficulties. In testing for reliability, the CSQ-D as a whole had a Cronbach’s alpha of .94 and an intraclass correlation coefficient of .89 (95% CI .86-.98). The total CSQ-D score was correlated to the FESV-BW scales with scores of r = 0.32-0.55 and with the SF-36 Mental Component Summary with scores of r = 0.32-0.53. The CSQ-D is a precisely translated and highly reliable instrument in the assessment of chronic pain coping strategies. Its concurrent criterion–related validity and construct validity are low. The main reason for the low level of agreement between the CSQ-D and the FESV-BW was revealed by factor analysis. Perspective This paper presents the German version of the Coping Strategies Questionnaire (CSQ-D) together with the results of clinimetric testing. The CSQ-D is a feasible and reliable outcome measure to be used in trials with German-speaking patients or large multicenter multinational trials to assess pain coping strategies in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain.