Further validation of the Chronic Pain Acceptance Questionnaire for Adolescents in a broader paediatric context

Background: The Chronic Pain Acceptance Questionnaire for Adolescents (CPAQ-A) is a measure of acceptance, which is associated with quality of life and functional disability in adolescents with chronic pain. The CPAQ-A could identify adolescents who may benefit from an acceptance based intervention to manage their chronic pain. However, the measure has yet to be validated in paediatric clinics other than pain services. Methods: Adolescents (N = 128; mean age 14.46) with chronic pain attending gastroenterology, neurology, rheumatology and pain services across Scotland completed self-report measures assessing pain, pain acceptance, functional disability, health-related quality of life, pain catastrophizing, anxiety and depression. Results: Factor analysis supported a two-factor structure explaining 46.84% of the variance. The total scale and subscales had excellent reliability (alpha >= 0.83). Correlation analyses suggested good convergent and concurrent validity with the other measures. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses identified that the CPAQ-A significantly contributed to the prediction of functional disability and health-related quality of life, suggesting predictive validity. Conclusion: The CPAQ-A is a valid and reliable measure for use in a range of paediatric clinics. The measure is likely to be useful to assess chronic pain acceptance, identify adolescents who may benefit from an acceptance-based intervention and to evaluate these interventions.