Abstract:
Background: Pain is among the most common and unpleasant symptoms affecting the well being of patients with cancer. The McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ) and its short-forms,
the SF-MPQ, SF MPQ-2 are the most widely used tools of pain descriptors. There is much
evidence supporting their validity and reliability in people with cancer. Many pain
assessment tools are available worldwide although limited number among them have been
translated in to Sinhala and validated in Sri Lanka.
Objectives: Our aim was to assess validity and reliability of Sinhala version of SF MPQ-2
among the Sinhala speaking patients with cancer pain in Sri Lanka.
Methodology: Translation has been done according to the guideline given by Mapi
Research Trust. Translation steps include forward, backward translation, expert opinion,
cognitive debriefing interviews and proof reading. Questionnaire was administered among
86 patients with cancer pain attending Apeksha Hospital, Maharagama. Content validity and
face validity were tested by expert opinion and by interviews with patients respectively.
Construct validity was tested by factor analysis while reliability was tested by internal
consistency with Cronbach’s alpha.
Results and Conclusions: A total of 86 participants with minimum of 3 months pain history
(44 males, 42 females) age between 24 - 78 years, were included in the study. Factor
analysis identified four factors in line with similar studies done in other countries, namely
neuropathic, affective, intermittent and continues subscales, which explained 58.7% of the
variance. The analysis of data indicated Cronbach’s alpha of above subscales as 0.778,
0.775, 0.859, and 0.820 respectively, which were over the acceptable threshold of 0.70. We
conclude that the SF‑MPQ -2-Sinhala version is a valid and reliable tool which can be used
among Sinhala speaking patients with cancer pain in Sri Lanka. However, validation studies
with larger sample sizes are recommended before its wider use in Sri Lanka.
