The NeckPix: development of an evaluation tool for assessing kinesiophobia in subjects with chronic neck pain
Marco Monticone, Howard Vernon, Roberto Brunati, Barbara Rocca, Simona Ferrante
January 2015, Volume 24, Issue 1, pp 72 - 79 Original Article Read Full Article 10.1007/s00586-014-3509-2
First Online: 13 August 2014
Purpose
To develop and validate NeckPix©, a multi-image instrument for assessing daily activities in the context of pain-related fear, in order to allow its use in patients with chronic neck pain (NP).
Methods
The measure was developed by means of item generation followed by reduction/selection. The psychometric testing included exploratory factor analysis; content validity by investigating clarity, specificity, appropriateness for the target population, relevance and completeness; reliability by internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha) and test–retest stability (intra-class coefficient correlation, ICC); and construct validity by comparing NeckPix with the Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia (TSK), the Pain Catastrophising Scale (PCS), the Neck Disability Index (NDI) and a Numerical Rating Scale of pain intensity (NRS) (Pearson’s correlation).
Results
The measure, which includes ten images used to assess everyday activities in the context of pain-related fear, was administered to 118 subjects with chronic non-specific NP, and proved to be acceptable and feasible. Factor analysis revealed a one-factor solution (which explained 71.12 % of variance). The content of the images was considered adequate, appropriate for the target population, comprehensive, and relevant for evaluating activity-related kinesiophobia. The instrument’s internal consistency was good (α = 0.954), as was its test–retest stability (ICC 0.979). Construct validity demonstrated a close correlation with the TSK (r = 0.759), and moderate correlations with the PCS (r = 0.583), the NDI (r = 0.520), and a NRS (r = 0.455).
Conclusion
NeckPix©, which was successfully developed following international recommendations, proved to have a good factorial structure and satisfactory psychometric properties. Its use is recommended for research purposes.
Read Full Article