title: The Chronic Pain Myth Scale: Development and Validation of a French-Canadian Instrument Measuring Knowledge, Beliefs, and Attitudes of People in the Community towards Chronic Pain.
abstract: Background. In order to better design awareness programs on chronic pain (CP), measurement of knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes of people in the community towards this condition is most useful.Objectives. To develop and validate a French-Canadian scale that could be used for this purpose.Methods. Items of the Chronic Pain Myth Scale (CPMS) were developed based on different information sources, reviewed by pain experts, and pretested. The CPMS was administered to 1555 participants among the general Quebec population.Results. The final CPMS contained 26 items allowing the calculation of three subscales scores (knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes towards people suffering from CP, biopsychosocial impacts of CP, and treatment of CP) which showed adequate internal consistency (α= 0.72-0.82). There were statistically significant differences in subscales scores between participants who reported suffering versus not suffering from CP, reported knowing versus not knowing someone who suffers from CP, and reported being versus not being a healthcare professional, which supports the construct validity of the scale.Conclusions. Our results provide preliminary evidence supporting the psychometric qualities of the use of the CPMS for the measurement of knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes towards CP among French-speaking individuals of the Quebec general population.
authors.affiliation: Département des Sciences de la Santé, Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Rouyn-Noranda, QC, Canada.
authors.forename: Anaïs
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-3992-5145
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lacasse
authors.affiliation: Département des Sciences de la Santé, Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Rouyn-Noranda, QC, Canada.
authors.forename: Judy-Ann
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-8825-0842
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Connelly
authors.affiliation: Département d'Anesthésiologie, Faculté de Médecine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada; Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CRCHUM), Montréal, QC, Canada.
authors.forename: Manon
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-9593-8883
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Choinière
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D059350:Chronic Pain / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*; D003469:Culture; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010147:Pain Measurement; D011594:Psychometrics; D011792:Quebec; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult