[The Color Analog Scale: a valid instrument for measuring pain intensity in Catalan-speaking children?].

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the validity of the Color Analog Scale (CAS) for assessing pain intensity in a Catalan-speaking pediatric population.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We compared children's CAS pain intensity ratings with their scores on the Catalan version of the Faces Pain Scale-Revised (FPS-R). We also compared the CAS to ratings of affective experience of pain evaluated with the Facial Affective Scale (FAS).

RESULTS

A total of 124 Catalan-speaking children aged 7 to 15 years admitted to the pediatric wards of 3 university hospitals participated in the study. The results supported the construct and criterion validity of the CAS in the Catalan population. Correlation between CAS and FPS-R scores was high and significant (r=0.87; P <.001). Similarly, pain intensity scores correlated significantly with emotional discomfort recorded with the FAS (r = 0.34; P < .001). Most of the children, regardless of sex or age, reported a preference for the FPS-R over the CAS.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of the present study provide preliminary evidence of the convergent, discriminant, and criterion validity of the CAS in this setting. The CAS appears to be valid for measuring pain intensity in Catalan-speaking children and adolescents between the ages of 7 and 15 years.