J Occup Environ Med. 2013 Aug;55(8):885-94. doi: 10.1097/JOM.0b013e318289ee6c.

The pain recovery inventory of concerns and expectations: a psychosocial screening instrument to identify intervention needs among patients at elevated risk of back disability.

Shaw WS¹, Reme SE, Pransky G, Woiszwillo MJ, Steenstra IA, Linton SJ.

Author information

1: Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety, Hopkinton, MA 01748, USA. william.shaw@libertymutual.com

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

To reduce a full psychosocial test battery to a brief screening questionnaire to triage return-to-work strategies among patients with low back pain (LBP).

METHODS:

Workers (N = 496) with acute, work-related LBP completed multiple psychosocial measures at intake, then a 3-month follow-up of pain, function, and work status. A sensitivity analysis was conducted to reduce the number of items while maintaining scale reliability, preserving associations with outcomes, and maintaining separation between patient subgroups.

RESULTS:

The pool of items was trimmed from 129 to 46 items, describing elements of emotional distress, pain beliefs, organizational support, and activity limitation. A confirmatory cluster analysis replicated previous findings of three risk subgroups: distressed, avoidant, and lacking employer support.