Validation of the West Haven-Yale Multidimensional Pain Inventory (WHYMPI/MPI) in a sample of Sinhala speaking population in Sri Lanka

Objectives: Pain is an unpleasant physical and emotional sensation due to actual or potential tissue damage. Acute pain is a symptom of an underlying disease. However, when it becomes chronic and persists for more than three months, it becomes a disease by itself. The purpose of this study is to validate the West Haven-Yale Multidimensional Pain Inventory among the Sinhalese speaking population in Sri Lanka.
Methodology: 150 adult patients were recruited from the pain clinic at CNTH as per inclusion and exclusion criteria. Each patient has undergone a medical examination by a pain medicine specialist, as well as a psychiatric/psychological evaluation by a psychiatrist. Patients who have given written consent were asked to fill out the questionnaires with the assistance of a researcher.
Results: Of the 150 patients studied, 86 were female and the average age was 56. 49 years. Cronbach’s alpha equal to 0.745 suggested that WHYMPI – S has overall acceptable reliability.
Conclusion: WHYMPI – S has acceptable reliability and validity as a self-reported measure for the evaluation of handicap induced by chronic pain.