Analysis

The Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS) was developed to measure an individual’s tendency to interpret pain in an excessively negative and catastrophic way. Pain catastrophizing refers to the tendency of an individual to experience and perceive pain as more severe and inevitable than it actually is, affecting their psychological state and reactions to pain.

Objective

The main objective of the PCS is to assess the intensity of catastrophic thinking related to pain. Pain catastrophizing has been shown to be associated with increased pain levels, difficulties in pain management, and a deterioration in quality of life. The scale helps to understand how negative thoughts about pain influence the experience of pain and coping strategies.

Scoring

The scale includes questions that refer to three core domains of catastrophizing: magnification of pain, helplessness, and the inevitability of symptoms. Participants respond to the questions using Likert scales, usually ranging from 0 (not at all) to 4 (very often), to assess the intensity of catastrophic thoughts they experience. The results are summed to provide an overall pain catastrophizing score.

References

Sullivan, M. J. L., Bishop, S. R., & Pivik, J. (1995). The Pain Catastrophizing Scale: Development and validation. Psychological Assessment, 7(4), 524-532.
Keefe, F. J., & Rumble, M. E. (2001). Catastrophizing and its relationship to pain and disability. In: The Psychology of Pain (pp. 64-80). Guilford Press.
Crombez, G., Eccleston, C., Van den Broeck, A., & Goubert, L. (2004). The role of catastrophizing in the pain experience of patients with chronic pain. Pain, 110(1-2), 237-246.
Micaela, M., & Kerns, R. D. (2004). Pain catastrophizing: A review of the literature and its clinical implications. Behavior Modification, 28(4), 572-591.
Quartana, P. J., Campbell, C. M., & Edwards, R. R. (2009). Pain catastrophizing: A critical review. Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics, 9(5), 745-758.