MEASUREMENT PROPERTIES OF THE PAIN-RELATED CATASTROPHIZING THOUGHTS SCALE (PCTS) IN BRAZILIAN PATIENTS WITH CANCER PAIN.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the measurement properties of the Brazilian version of the Pain-Related Catastrophizing Thoughts Scale (PCTS) in patients with cancer-related pain.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

Data were collected at two oncology hospitals. Participants completed the PCTS, Barthel Index, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and Numeric Rating Scale (NRS). The measurement properties assessed were reliability, internal consistency, structural validity, and construct validity.

RESULTS

The sample included 147 cancer patients, with a mean age of 48.71 years. Most were women, married, and had completed basic education. A total of 29 cancer types were reported, with cervical and breast cancer being the most common. Exploratory factor analysis with parallel analysis indicated a unidimensional structure for the PCTS (Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin test = 0.72; Bartlett's test p < 0.001). Test-retest reliability was excellent (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.94) and internal consistency was acceptable (Cronbach's alpha = 0.78 and McDonald's omega = 0.86). Construct validity was supported by significant positive correlations with anxiety (rho = 0.65, p < 0.001) and depression (rho = 0.60, p < 0.001). Floor and ceiling effects were absent.

CONCLUSION

The Brazilian PCTS showed adequate psychometric properties, supporting its use as a preliminary but promising tool for evaluating this population for assessing pain-related catastrophizing in patients with cancer pain.