Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ-2)

Abstract

The Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire-2 (SF-MPQ-2) is an expanded and revised version of the original Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ), developed to provide a rapid, yet comprehensive, assessment of the multidimensional experience of pain. Developed by Melzack and colleagues, the SF-MPQ-2 enhances the original structure by incorporating additional descriptors, particularly focusing on components related to neuropathic pain. This instrument is widely used in clinical and research settings to quantify the sensory and affective qualities of both acute and chronic pain states, offering a robust profile of pain characteristics.

Keywords

SF-MPQ-2, McGill Pain Questionnaire, Pain assessment, Chronic pain, Sensory pain, Affective pain, Neuropathic pain, Pain intensity, Clinical psychology, Psychometrics

Authors

Ronald Melzack, RH Dworkin, DC Turk, DA Revicki, G Harding, KS Coyne, S Peirce-Sandner, D Bhagwat, D Everton, LB Burke, P Cowan, JT Farrar, S Hertz, MB Max, BA Rappaport

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Purpose

The primary purpose of the SF-MPQ-2 is to measure the subjective quality and intensity of pain experience across multiple dimensions. It was designed to maintain the brevity and ease of administration of the original short form while significantly improving its psychometric properties, particularly its sensitivity to different types of pain, including continuous, intermittent, and predominantly neuropathic pain.

The scale provides researchers and clinicians with a tool capable of distinguishing between the sensory characteristics of pain (e.g., throbbing, shooting) and the emotional or affective reactions associated with the pain experience (e.g., sickening, fearful). This dual focus allows for a more nuanced understanding of the patient’s overall pain burden compared to simple visual analog scales.

Construct

The SF-MPQ-2 measures the multidimensional experience of pain, which is conceptualized as having distinct sensory, affective, and temporal characteristics. The original conceptual foundation laid by the full McGill Pain Questionnaire posits that pain is not merely a single intensity variable but a complex phenomenon described by specific word descriptors.

The revised instrument (SF-MPQ-2) utilizes 22 descriptors grouped into four core subscales, reflecting the primary components of the pain construct: continuous pain, intermittent pain, predominantly neuropathic pain, and affective descriptors. This structure allows the scale to capture the varying qualities of chronic pain states effectively.

Validity

The initial validation studies for the SF-MPQ-2 (Dworkin et al., 2009) demonstrated strong construct and criterion validity. The four-factor structure was confirmed, showing that the subscales accurately differentiate between various aspects of pain experience. Specifically, the inclusion of items related to neuropathic qualities significantly improved the scale’s ability to assess conditions characterized by nerve damage, a limitation of the original SF-MPQ.

Further cross-cultural validation, such as the study on the Japanese version (Maruo et al., 2014), confirmed the instrument’s validity in diverse patient populations, indicating that the sensory and affective dimensions of pain are consistently measured across cultures and different pain etiologies (neuropathic versus non-neuropathic pain).

Reliability

The SF-MPQ-2 exhibits excellent internal consistency, as evidenced by high Cronbach’s alpha coefficients reported across its subscales and total score in validation studies. The reliability measures summarized in the source content are:

• continuous pain: α = 0.893
• intermittent pain: α = 0.875
• predominantly neuropathic pain: α = 0.917
• affective descriptors: α = 0.857
• total score: α = 0.907

These high alpha values (α > 0.85) confirm that the items within each subscale are highly correlated and reliably measure their respective pain dimensions. The instrument is considered reliable for use in clinical trials and longitudinal studies focused on pain management and treatment efficacy.

Factor Analysis

Factor analysis of the SF-MPQ-2 typically yields a four-factor solution, which reflects the scale’s primary dimensions: continuous pain, intermittent pain, neuropathic pain qualities, and affective pain descriptors. The source content notes the distinction between sensory and affective components, specifically mentioning 11 sensory words and 4 affective words in the original structure, though the SF-MPQ-2 expands on this.

The establishment of these distinct factors ensures that the instrument is not just measuring overall pain intensity, but rather providing separate scores for the qualitative aspects of the pain experience, making it a valuable tool for differential diagnosis and tracking specific treatment effects across different pain modalities.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report questionnaire, Multidimensional Pain Inventory

Format: 22 descriptors rated on a 4-point intensity scale (0 = None, 1 = Mild, 2 = Moderate, 3 = Severe). The scale also includes supplementary scoring methods, such as a numerical rating scale (NRS) often rated 0 to 10.

Language Available: English, Japanese (and likely numerous others, given the widespread use of the MPQ family).

Population Group: Patients experiencing acute or chronic pain, including those with musculoskeletal pain and neuropathic conditions.

Age Group: Typically adults (validated in clinical populations).

Population Details: Used across various clinical samples, including post-surgical patients, oncology patients, and those with chronic musculoskeletal or nerve pain.

Test Methodology: Respondents rate the intensity of their current pain experience for each descriptor on the provided 4-point Likert scale. Total scores and subscale scores are calculated based on these ratings.

The instrument can be accessed via several online resources, including these PDF links: http://www.npcrc.org/files/news/mcgill_pain_inventory.pdf and http://hypnosishelpcenter.net/McGillPainQuestionnaire-Short.pdf.

Keywords

Pain measurement, Pain scale, SF-MPQ, Ronald Melzack, Affective dimension, Sensory dimension, Pain quality, Psychometric testing

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Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided in source.

Affiliation Email addresses: [email protected] (for Ronald Melzack)

Correspondence Address: Not specified in source, typically affiliated with McGill University (Melzack) or relevant pain research institutions (Dworkin et al.).

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The original SF-MPQ was developed in 1984. The expanded and revised version, the SF-MPQ-2, was developed and initially validated in 2009 by Dworkin et al. Permissions for clinical use may vary, but the scale is generally considered a standard instrument in pain research. Researchers should consult the original authors or relevant copyright holders (such as the International Association for the Study of Pain or publishers of the validation study) regarding commercial use or licensing fees.

The original authors of the MPQ family of instruments, including Ronald Melzack, established foundational work on pain language, which is often cited in the development of pain scales.

Reference’s

• Melzack, R., & Torgerson, W. S. (1971). On the language of pain. Anesthesiology, 34:50-9.
• Melzack, R. (1987). The short-form McGill Pain Questionnaire. Pain, 30; 191-197.
• Dworkin, R. H., Turk, D. C., Revicki, D. A., Harding, G., Coyne, K. S., Peirce-Sandner, S., … & Melzack, R. (2009). Development and initial validation of an expanded and revised version of the Short-form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ-2). Pain, 144(1-2), 35-42.
• Maruo, T., Nakae, A., Maeda, L., Shi, K., Takahashi, K., Morris, S., … & Saitoh, Y. (2014). Validity, Reliability, and Assessment Sensitivity of the Japanese Version of the Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire 2 in Japanese Patients with Neuropathic and Non-Neuropathic Pain. Pain Medicine, 15(11), 1930-7.

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Items of the Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPO-2)

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

The SF-MPQ-2 contains 22 descriptors, typically rated on a 4-point intensity scale (0=None to 3=Severe).

1. Throbbing pain
2. Shooting pain
3. Stabbing pain
4. Sharp pain
5. Cramping pain
6. Gnawing pain
7. Hot-burning pain
8. Aching pain
9. Heavy pain
10. Tender
11. Splitting pain
12. Tiring-Exhausting pain
13. Sickening
14. Fearful
15. Punishing- Cruel
16. Electric- shock pain
17. Cold- freezing pain
18. Piercing
19. Pain caused by light touch
20. Latching
21. Tingling or ‘pins and needles’
22. Numbness

Note on scoring scales mentioned in the source content:

• 0 = none, 1 = mild, 2 = moderate or 3 = severe (Standard SF-MPQ-2 intensity scale)
• 0 = no pain, 1 = mild, 2 = discomforting, 3 = distressing, 4 = horrible, 5 = excruciating (Commonly used for overall Present Pain Intensity or MPQ rating)
• None=0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 = worst possible (Numerical Rating Scale/Visual Analog Scale for overall intensity)