Cross-cultural adaptation of the Pain Catastrophizing Scale in Greek clinical population.
Anna Christakou
PMID 34177197WHAT IT FOUND
The Greek Pain Catastrophizing Scale reliably measures three distinct thoughts about pain: helplessness, rumination, and magnification.
For patients with chronic neck or back pain, it is a valid tool to identify these specific cognitive patterns, though it correlates only moderately with pain intensity scores.
Key findings
01The Greek version of the scale accurately reproduces the original three-factor structure (Helplessness, Rumination, Magnification), with the three-factor model fitting the data significantly better than a two-factor model.
02The scale is reliable, showing high internal consistency for all three subscales and stable test-retest results over one week.
03Scores on the scale correlate with pain intensity, but the relationship is moderate rather than strong, suggesting catastrophizing is a distinct construct from pain sensation.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study did not assess discriminant validity, meaning it is unclear if the scale accurately distinguishes between chronic pain patients and the general population. The sample was restricted to patients with chronic cervical and lumbar pain, so results may not apply to other pain conditions like neuropathic pain or fibromyalgia. The study did not examine correlations with psychological status (e.g., depression or anxiety) or physical performance tests, limiting the understanding of how catastrophizing relates to other clinical factors. Responsiveness to change was not tested, so it is unknown if the scale can accurately detect improvements in catastrophizing following treatment.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest and no funding was received for this work.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that a high Pain Catastrophizing Scale score indicates severe pain intensity. The study found only moderate correlations between the scale and pain intensity measures (e.g., VAS), meaning a patient can have low pain sensation but high catastrophizing, or vice versa. Treat the PCS as a measure of cognitive response to pain, not a proxy for pain severity.