title: The McGill Pain Questionnaire in Amharic: Zwai Health Center patients' reports on the experience of pain.
abstract: This paper presents for the first time an Amharic translation of the McGill Pain Questionnaire developed by Melzack and used in many countries around the world. It allows for a quantitative and qualitative assessment of the intensity, location, and nature of experienced pain, as well as conditions that relieve pain. Data collected from one hundred patients attending the Zwai Health Center indicated that 81% reported pain at the time, one-quarter of whom were in severe pain. The most commonly chosen descriptors were: burning, stabbing, sore, gnawing, aching, and cramping. Descriptors were often associated with certain diagnoses: burning with gastrointestinal problems, stabbing with respiratory diseases, and gnawing or aching with myalgia/neuralgia. Approximately 40% of those in pain had previously sought relief from a clinic or pharmacy and were attending the center because the pain persisted. Analgesics were more likely to be prescribed for those in mild pain, while other medication without analgesics were prescribed for those in severe pain. The McGill Pain Questionnaire--Amharic (MPQ-Am) could be a useful tool for future studies of illness-specific pain, and of the effectiveness of pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical strategies for pain management.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, McGill University, 1205 Dr. Penfield Avenue, Montreal, Qc., Canada H3A 1B1. frances.aboud@mcgill.ca
authors.forename: Frances E
authors.initials: FE
authors.lastname: Aboud
authors.forename: Mismay G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Hiwot
authors.forename: Adefris
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Arega
authors.forename: Mesfin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Molla
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Samson
authors.forename: Nebyou
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Seyoum
authors.forename: Shewangizaw
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ressom
authors.forename: Solomon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Worku
authors.forename: Mesfin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mulatu
authors.forename: Tewedros
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Egale
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001294:Attitude to Health / Q000208:ethnology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005002:Ethiopia; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010146:Pain / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000208:ethnology; D059408:Pain Management; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D011594:Psychometrics; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012660:Semantics; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*; D014175:Translating