West Haven-Yale Multidimensional Pain Inventory

The West Haven-Yale Multidimensional Pain Inventory (WHYMPI) is a 52-item, multidimensional measure of chronic pain that assesses status in the following domains: perceived pain intensity and impact of pain on various facets of a patient's life; perception of responses from significant others; participation in common activities; and activity level. Each domain is divided into 12 subscales. The first domain includes five subscales: perceived interference of pain in various aspects of functioning, support and concern of significant others, pain severity, self-control, and negative mood. The second domain includes three subscales: perceived frequency of punishing responses, perceived frequency of solicitous responses, and perceived frequency of distracting responses from significant others. The third domain includes four subscales: participation in household chores, outdoor work, activities away from home, and social activities (these scores are added for a general activity score). Each item is answered on a 7-point scale that ranges from0(never)to6(very frequently). The WHYMPI is self-administered in approximately 10 to 20 minutes. Alternative versions offer a 61-item and a 48-item Multidimensional Pain Inventory. A substantial body of research literature is available to guide the WHYMPI's applications.

Validation of the original WHYMPI was conducted on a predominantly male population of veterans experiencing a broad array of chronic pain syndromes, with lower back pain afflicting 36% of the sample. Reliability and validity estimates have been reported for men and women and across various ages and pain conditions. The WHYMPI displays internal consistency reliability ranging from 0.70 to 0.90, with test-retest stability (generally with a 2-week interval) ranging from 0.62 to 0.91. Additional normative information for particular types and locations of pain is available at http://www.pain.pitt.edu/mpi/MPI_Norms.pdf. Research suggests the combination of the WHYMPI, the Beck Depression Inventory, the McGill Pain Questionnaire, and a clinical interview may provide the most useful description of a patient's pain experience with respect to the four-factor model of pain: affective distress, support from significant others, pain description, and functional capacity. The activities subscale of the WHYMPI may be compromised in predicting functional capacity because some items may be culturally related or gender related. Examiners may find it helpful to inquire whether an activity was prominent prior to the onset of pain. The WHYMPI has been validated in German, Swedish, Dutch, and English, its original format. A significant-other version of the WHYMPI has been developed to assess significant others' perception of the number of solicitous, distracting, and negative responses given by a chronic pain patient.

The instrument is available from Robert D. Kerns, one of its authors, and from the ProQolid Quality of [Page 1051]Life Instruments Database at http://www.qolid.org for a minimal fee.