The Chronic Pain Coping Inventory: development and preliminary validation.

Abstract

This paper describes the development and validation of a measure of strategies used by patients to cope with chronic pain, the Chronic Pain Coping Inventory (CPCI). A 104-item measure of pain coping responses and 3 measures of functioning were completed by 176 chronic pain patients. Two-week retest data were provided by 111 of these patients. Item and scale analyses resulted in a 65-item measure that assessed 11 pain coping dimensions. This inventory was then cross-validated in a second sample of chronic pain patients (n = 78), who also completed a measure of pain-related distress. The significant others (typically, spouses) of patients in the second sample rated patients on a significant-other version of the CPCI and on other measures of patient functioning. The results support the reliability of the CPCI scales. Four scales (Guarding, Resting, Asking for Assistance, and Task Persistence) predicted patient- and significant other-reported patient adjustment. Eight scales (Guarding, Opioid Medication Use, NSAID Use, Sedative-Hypnotic Medication Use, Resting, Asking for Assistance, and Exercise/Stretch) demonstrated moderate-to-strong relationships between patient and significant-other versions, further supporting their validity.