title: Measurement of the experience of living with primary recurrent headache.
abstract: Recurrent primary headache is a major public health concern that impacts both society and the individual, reducing productivity and limiting participation in work, social, and leisure activities. The purpose of this study was to develop a valid and reliable instrument to measure the experience of living with chronic recurrent primary headache. This tool, Chronic Pain Experience Instrument-Headache Version (CPEI-HA), is intended to provide a measure of the affective component of headache that could complement the assessment of intensity, density, and disability. Psychometric testing of 25 items with a community-based headache sample ( N = 150) resulted in a 19-item tool with high internal consistency (alpha = .92). Principal components analysis was used to explore the meaning of the headache experience, and three underlying dimensions (i.e., Helplessness, Stress--Personal and Interpersonal, and Emotional Struggle) emerged to provide a better understanding of the experience. Construct validity was supported by the empiric relationships between the CPEI-HA and the eight theoretically related health concept subscales of the RAND 36-Item Health Survey 1.0. As predicted, all of the relationships were positive and in the moderate range (.31-.52). Findings suggest that the CPEI-HA has the potential for providing a valid and reliable tool for both clinical and research applications with persons who experience primary recurrent headaches.
authors.affiliation: College of Nursing, Texas Woman's University, PO Box 425498, Denton, TX 76204, USA. gdavis@twu.edu
authors.forename: Gail C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.forename: Jane S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Grassley
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D000368:Aged; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002908:Chronic Disease; D017281:Cost of Illness; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006261:Headache / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*; D006380:Helplessness, Learned; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D011594:Psychometrics; D011788:Quality of Life; D012008:Recurrence; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*