Abstract
Fear Avoidance Beliefs (FAB) and pain anxiety constitute risk factors in the process of chronicity in low back pain. Presently, reliable and valid measures to assess pain anxiety in elderly individuals with low back pain do not exist.
The Pain Anxiety Symptom Scale (PASS), both in its extended and abbreviated version, demonstrates good psychometric properties. Factor analyses reveal four dimensions that represent cognitive, emotional, physiological, and behavioural levels, respectively. So far, the scale has not been examined, however, in an elderly population.
The aim of the present study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of a German translation of the 20-items short form of this scale (PASS-D 20). A total of 79 patients older than 65 years with low back pain participated in a telephone survey.
In contrast to the original English version, a 4-factor structure could not be identified. Moreover, some items did not prove to be relevant for the target group and were not used as pain descriptors. Consequently, the use of the present 20 item version cannot be recommended for the assessment of FABs and pain anxiety in an elderly population. Some items, however, seem to hold the potential to demonstrate better properties when incorporated into a new scale with additional items that better represent the special needs of the elderly. This scale needs to be developed yet.
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