Fear and avoidance beliefs in chronic pain. The translation and validation of the Hungarian version of the FABQ questionnaire

Introduction: Chronic low back pain is one of the top reasons for seeking medical advice. In the background of the dysfunction besides the somatic pain dysfunctional thinking, negative emotional states, or interpersonal problems can be identified as well. One of the most important factors making the rehabilitation difficult is the fear and avoidance of physical activity. Aim: The aim of the study was to adapt and validate the Fear Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire (FABQ-H) in Hungarian. Methods: The FABQ (16 items) was translated into Hungarian and filled in by 90 patients suffering from low back pain for at least three months. For cross validation the FABQ-H results of 43 patients were compared with pain intensity the Oswestry Low Back Pain Questionnaire (ODI), the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire (RDQ), the Zung Depression Scale (Zung) and the Pain Catastrophising Scale (PCS). Results: The internal consistency of the FABQ-H was good: the Cronbach's alpha was 0.8. Correlation analysis revealed that the FABQ showed significant correlation only with the Pain Catastrophising Scale (r = 0.373, p = 0.014). Conclusion: Our results confirm that the FABQ-H is a valid questionnaire that can be well implemented.