1. The validity of the Computer Face Scale for measuring pediatric pain and mood.
- Author
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Cravero, Joseph P., Fanciullo, Gilbert J., McHugo, Gregory J., Baird, John C., and Lonnqvist, Per-Arne
- Subjects
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TEST validity , *PAIN in children , *PEDIATRIC therapy , *MOOD (Psychology) , *TONSILLECTOMY , *THERAPEUTICS - Abstract
Objective The aim was to assess the validity of the Computer Face Scale. Methods Forty children (5-13 years old) rated pain and mood prior to and twice following tonsillectomy. The children used the Computer Face Scale to adjust a cartoon face to rate pain and mood. During sessions one and two, the children also chose an expression on the Wong- Baker Faces Scale to rate their pain, and they reported their mood verbally on a seven-point scale. Results On average, the children reported no pain and a positive mood prior to surgery. Soon after surgery, they reported mild pain and a slightly negative mood. An hour later, they reported decreases in pain and return to a positive mood. The differences between presurgery and postsurgery ratings were statistically significant ( P ≤ 0.001) for all measures. The correlation between the two mood measures was 0.88 before surgery and 0.78 afterward. The correlation between the two measures of pain was 0.83 after surgery ( P's < 0.001). Conclusions The results support the validity of the Computer Face Scale. The mean ratings of pain and mood followed the expected pattern from pre- to postsurgery, and there was a significant association between ratings obtained by different methods. The Computer Face Scale provides a simple-to-use scale with more resolution and electronic capture, which may provide advantages in numerous clinical and research applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2013
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