title: The reliability and validity of the Visual Analog Mood Scales in non-English-speaking pain patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study assessed the validity and reliability of the Visual Analog Mood Scales (VAMS) when administered to a non-English-speaking, headache population.
  
  
  METHODS
  The VAMS and another frequently administered measure of mood, the Profile of Mood States (POMS), were administered to sixty patients at a headache clinic in Milan, Italy. The VAMS and POMS were both administered before and after a regularly scheduled appointment at the clinic. Multitrait-multimethod analyses were conducted to assess the validity of each subscale comprising the VAMS.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All subscales comprising the VAMS possessed high test-retest reliability, and the "confused,""sad,""angry,""energetic," and "tired" subscales of the VAMS were shown to be valid when administered to a non-English-speaking pain population. Further, compared to age-matched controls (from available normative data), pain patients reported being significantly more confused, sad, and tense on the VAMS and significantly more tired, confused, depressed, and tense on the POMS.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Given the evidence of strong reliability and validity, the VAMS may be useful as a clinical diagnostic tool when administered to non-English-speaking pain populations.
authors.affiliation: University of West Florida, Pensacola, FL 32514, USA. ehouse@pensacolastate.edu
authors.forename: Erica D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: House
authors.forename: James E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Arruda
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Andrasik
authors.forename: Licia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Grazzi
mesh_terms: D000339:Affect; D006261:Headache / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D009460:Neurologic Examination / Q000379:methods*; D010146:Pain / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results