Studies of the Modified Somatic Perceptions Questionnaire (MSPQ) in patients with back pain. Psychometric and predictive properties.

The Modified Somatic Perceptions Questionnaire (MSPQ) was designed to measure heightened somatic awareness among patients with chronic pain. It was hoped that this questionnaire would help predict therapeutic responses for back pain patients. The reliability, validity, and predictive characteristics of this scale were tested among 97 patients with chronic low-back pain enrolled in a clinical trial of transcutaneous nerve stimulation and stretching exercises. Internal consistency was good (alpha = 0.78), and correlations with the Zung depression scale and certain MMPI scales were significant. Correlations with a baseline functional scale (the Sickness Impact Profile) were stronger than those with the MMPI. Unfortunately, the MSPQ did not correlate with functional outcomes, and was only weakly associated with pain outcomes. Thus, the MSPQ appears to be reliable and valid, but the somatic perceptions it measures may have little relation to patient outcomes.