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Assessing the Psychometric Properties of an Activity Pacing Questionnaire for Chronic Pain and Fatigue.
- Source :
-
Physical Therapy . Sep2015, Vol. 95 Issue 9, p1274-1286. 13p. - Publication Year :
- 2015
-
Abstract
- Background. Therapists frequently advise the use of activity pacing as a coping strategy to manage long-term conditions (eg, chronic low back pain, chronic widespread pain, chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis). However, activity pacing has not been clearly operationalized, and there is a paucity of empirical evidence regarding pacing. This paucity of evidence may be partly due to the absence of a widely used pacing scale. To address the limitations of existing pacing scales, the 38-item Activity Pacing Questionnaire (APQ-38) was previously developed using the Delphi technique. Objective. The aims of this study were: (1) to explore the psychometric properties of the APQ-38, (2) to identify underlying pacing themes, and (3) to assess the reliability and validity of the scale. Design. This was a cross-sectional questionnaire study. Methods. Three hundred eleven adult patients with chronic pain or fatigue participated, of whom 69 completed the test-retest analysis. Data obtained for the APQ-38 were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis, internal and test-retest reliability, and validity against 2 existing pacing subscales and validated measures of pain, fatigue, anxiety, depression, avoidance, and mental and physical function. Results. Following factor analysis, 12 items were removed from the APQ-38, and 5 themes of pacing were identified in the resulting 26-item Activity Pacing Questionnaire (APQ-26): activity adjustment, activity consistency, activity progression, activity planning, and activity acceptance. These themes demonstrated satisfactory internal consistency (Cronbach a=.72-.92), test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient=.50-.78, P≤.001), and construct validity. Activity adjustment, activity progression, and activity acceptance correlated with worsened symptoms; activity consistency correlated with improved symptoms; and activity planning correlated with both improved and worsened symptoms. Limitations. Data were collected from self-report questionnaires only. Conclusions. Developed to be widely used across a heterogeneous group of patients with chronic pain or fatigue, the APQ-26 is multifaceted and demonstrates reliability and validity. Further study will explore the effects of pacing on patients' symptoms to guide therapists toward advising pacing themes with empirical benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Subjects :
- *TREATMENT of backaches
*CHRONIC fatigue syndrome treatment
*CHRONIC pain treatment
*PSYCHOLOGICAL adaptation
*BEHAVIOR modification
*CHI-squared test
*STATISTICAL correlation
*DELPHI method
*ENERGY metabolism
*TEST validity
*EXPERIMENTAL design
*FACTOR analysis
*FATIGUE (Physiology)
*RESEARCH methodology
*PROBABILITY theory
*PSYCHOLOGICAL tests
*PSYCHOMETRICS
*QUESTIONNAIRES
*RESEARCH funding
*SCALE analysis (Psychology)
*HEALTH self-care
*STATISTICS
*STATISTICAL reliability
*EFFECT sizes (Statistics)
*PAIN measurement
*INTER-observer reliability
*CROSS-sectional method
*RESEARCH methodology evaluation
*DATA analysis software
*MANN Whitney U Test
RESEARCH evaluation
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 00319023
- Volume :
- 95
- Issue :
- 9
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- Physical Therapy
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 109244712
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.2522/ptj.20140405