Contribution of psychological variables on the perception of pain and quality of life in adults

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate the contribution of psychological variables on the perception of pain intensity, pain interference with daily activities and quality of life among adults and to estimate the psychometric properties of the measuring instruments used. This is a cross-sectional study with a stratified sampling design. The volunteers participating in the study will be patients of two health center who will seek care between the years 2014 and 2016. Adult subjects without pain (normative) and patients with acute and chronic pain will be included. Demographic and clinical information will be raised through personal interview. The experience of pain will be evaluated by Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) using the last experience of pain as reference period to response. Psychological factors as Pain Catastrophizing, Depression/Anxiety/Stress, Alexithymia, Self-Efficacy, Locus of Control and Hypervigilance and Quality of Life will be investigated by the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS), Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 (dass-21), Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 (TAS-20), Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (PSEQ), Multi-dimensional Health Locus of Control - form C (MHLC), Pain Vigilance and Awereness Questionnaire (PVAQ) and World Health Organization Quality Of Life Assessment-Bref (WHOQoL-Bref), respectively. The validity of face, content, construct (factorial, convergent and discriminant), concurrent and divergent will be estimated as well as reliability. To verify the invariance of the factor solution obtained for each instrument will be performed multiple group analysis. To assess the contribution of demographic and clinical variables and psychological factors on the experience of pain and the impact these on quality of life, the structural model will be developed. (AU)