Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.3325/cmj.2024.65.473
Conceptualization of pain in Croatian adults: a crosssectional and psychometric study
Snježana Schuster
; Department of Physiotherapy, University of Applied Health Sciences Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Iva Lončarić Kelečić
orcid.org/0000-0003-2517-3082
; University Hospital Center Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
*
Morana Bilić
; Department of Health Psychology, University of Applied Health Studies, Zagreb, Croatia
Margareta Begić
; Department of Physiotherapy, University of Applied Health Sciences Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Joshua W. Pate
; 4 Graduate School of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, Australia
* Corresponding author.
Abstract
Aim To ascertain whether Croatian respondents’ knowledge on pain aligns with modern pain science, and determine the measurement properties of the Croatian version
of the Concept of Pain Inventory for Adults (COPI-Adult).
Methods A cross-sectional, online survey was used to collect the respondents’ sociodemographic, clinical, and COPI-Adult (CRO) data (n=509). A Pearson correlation coefficient test was used to assess the correlations between
sociodemographic, clinical, and COPI-Adult (CRO) data.
Confirmatory factor analysis and Cronbach’s coefficient,
based on classical test theory, were used to determine the
measurement properties of the questionnaire.
Results The average COPI-Adult (CRO) score was
35.91±5.8 out of 52 and it was similar in respondents with
(36.52±6.01) and without (35.36±5.57) formal medical/
health care education. Respondents exhibited a reductionist understanding of pain as a result of structural damage.
Higher COPI-Adult scores were very weakly correlated with
formal medical/health care education, younger age, lower pain intensity, higher pain knowledge self-assessment,
and higher education level. Formal medical education significantly moderately correlated with pain knowledge selfassessment (r=-0.425; P<0.001). One-factor COPI-Adult
(CRO) model revealed significant factor loadings of each
item (P<0.001) and good internal consistency (Cronbach
α=0.803).
Conclusions Croatian respondents’ concept of pain aligns
with their objective knowledge, but only partially with
modern pain science. This indicates the need to bridge the
gap between traditional and contemporary understandings of pain in the Croatian population. One-factor COPIAdult (CRO) inventory serves as the first questionnaire for
assessing the concept of pain among Croatian adults.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
336747
URI
Publication date:
19.12.2024.
Visits: 42 *