Acceptance of chronic pain in fibromyalgia patients: adaptation of Chronic Pain Acceptance Questionnaire (CPAQ) in a Spanish population

Acceptance of chronic pain appears as an important factor in the personal ability to restore functioning in the presence of chronic pain. The Chronic Pain Acceptance Questionnaire (CPAQ) is currently the only instrument used to assess the acceptance of pain in people who suffer chronic pain. The revised 20-item version of McCracken and cols. (2004) showed satisfactory psychometric properties. Nevertheless, the CPAQ has not been used in Spain in fibromyalgia patients. The first goal of the study is to examine the Spanish translation of the CPAQ and assess its psychometric properties in a sample of 145 subjects with a diagnosis of fibromyalgia. The second purpose was to analyze the relationships between the CPAQ and other important measures of pain adjustment. Results of exploratory factor analysis indicated that the two-factor model, in a 15-item test, provided a good fit to the data in fibromyalgia patients. Regression analyses showed strong relations with criteria variables (pain intensity, anxiety, depression, etc.) though the subscale Activity Engagement contributed more than Pain Willingness to the prediction of criteria variables.