Validation of the Centrality of Pain Scale in Chinese-Speaking Patients with Painful Temporomandibular Disorders.

OBJECTIVE

The present study aimed to validate the Centrality of Pain Scale (COPS) for use in Chinese patients with painful temporomandibular disorders (TMDs).

METHODS

The Centrality of Pain Scale was firstly translated and cross-culturally adapted following international guidelines. In total, 166 patients with TMD were recruited to complete the Chinese version of the COPS (COPS-C). In addition to the COPS-C, the patients were also administered the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS) and the Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (PSEQ). The reliability of the COPS-C was evaluated using internal consistency and test-retest methods. The construct validity of the COPS-C was evaluated using exploratory factor analysis (EFA). Convergent validity was determined by analyzing the correlations between COPS-C scores and the scores of the PCS and PSEQ.

RESULTS

Cronbach's alpha for the total COPS-C score was 0.942. The interitem correlations ranged from 0.356 to 0.901. The intraclass correlation coefficient values of the COPS-C ranged between 0.815 and 0.929. The results of the EFA indicated a one-factor solution for the measure, accounting for 70.4% of the total observed variance. The factor loadings of all items ranged from 0.713 to 0.917. Regarding convergent validity, the COPS-C had moderate correlations with the PCS and the PSEQ.

CONCLUSIONS

The results provide initial evidence that the COPS-C is a reliable and valid measure. It can be used as a suitable instrument for Chinese patients with TMD.