Pyschometric testing of the Family Impact of Pain Scale using a sample of families in Australia
Caryn West Lecturer and PhD candidate, School of Nursing, Midwifery and Nutrition, James Cook University, Cairns, Queensland, Australia
Petra Buettner Associate professor, epidemiology and biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tropical Medicine and Rehabilitation Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia
Kim Foster Associate professor, Mental health nursing at Sydney Nursing School, University of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Kim Usher Professor and associate dean, Graduate research studies at the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Nutrition at James Cook University, Cairns, Queensland, Australia
Aim To test the psychometric properties of the Family Impact of Pain Scale (FIPS) using a sample of families resident in North Queensland.
Background While pain has a significant effect on the individual, the entire family can be affected when a member of the family has chronic pain. FIPS is the only tool designed to measure the effect of pain on the family. It was originally developed in the UK using a sample of people with dental pain, so to test the psychometric properties of the tool with Australians with chronic pain was essential.
Data sources Participants (n=67) completed a survey consisting of four tools: FIPS, the Connor Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36 (SF-36) and the Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey (MOS SSS).
Discussion Psychometric characteristics of FIPS were consistent with previous studies, indicating that the tool can be used reliably to measure the impact of chronic pain on the family in Australia.
Conclusion The FIPS is a reliable tool for predicting the impact of chronic pain on the family and for use with an Australian population.
Implications for practice/research The validation of a tool such as FIPS in an Australian population adds to the current body of knowledge and extends the use of the tool. Such validation supports its reliability and stability across populations and provides Australian healthcare workers with a valid tool to measure the impact of pain on the family.
Nurse Researcher.
20, 2, 6-12.
doi: 10.7748/nr2012.11.20.2.6.c9435
Peer review
This article has been subject to double blind peer review
Conflict of interest
None declared
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