The Central Sensitization Inventory and Pain Sensitivity Questionnaire: An exploration of construct validity and associations with widespread pain sensitivity among individuals with shoulder pain

Abstract Objectives The aim of the current study was to examine the convergent validity of the Central Sensitization Inventory by quantifying the correlation with experimental measures of pain sensitivity and self-reported psycho-social questionnaires, in a low back pain population. Methods All participants were recruited from an outpatient hospital spine care clinic (Spine Centre of Southern Denmark). Participants underwent a standardized experimental pain test protocol and completed the Central Sensitization Inventory (CSI) along with additional self-reported questionnaires to assess psycho-social constructs across different domains. The association between the CSI, experimental pain measures and other self-reported psycho-social questionnaires were analyzed using correlation and contingency tests. ROC-curve analysis was used to determine sensitivity and specificity for CSI. Results One hundred sixty-eight (168) participants were included. The CSI was weakly correlated with nine out of 20 variables in the experimental pain test protocol (rho range −0.37 to 0.22). The CSI was more closely correlated with psycho-social factors such as work ability, disability, and symptoms of exhaustion disorder. ROC-analysis identified an optimal cut-point of 44 on CSI (Sn=39.1% Sp=87.4%). The CSI had an area under the ROC curve of 0.656. Fisher’s exact test demonstrated a statistically significant association between participants scoring ≥40 on CSI and participants categorized as sensitized by experimental pain tests (p-value=0.03). Conclusions Our findings are consistent with previous studies, indicating that the CSI is related to psycho-social constructs. However, the convergent validity with experimental pain measures is small and probably not clinically meaningful.

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Psychological Distress and Widespread Pain Contribute to the Variance of the Central Sensitization Inventory: A Cross-Sectional Study in Patients with Chronic Pain

Pain Practice ◽

10.1111/papr.12600 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 18 (2) ◽

pp. 239-246 ◽

Cited By ~ 23

Author(s):

Cornelis P. van Wilgen ◽

Pieter J. Vuijk ◽

Jeroen Kregel ◽

Lennard Voogt ◽

Mira Meeus ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Chronic Pain ◽

Psychological Distress ◽

Central Sensitization ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Widespread Pain ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Central Sensitization Inventory

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Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the German Central Sensitization Inventory (CSI-GE)

BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders ◽

10.1186/s12891-021-04481-5 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 22 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Michel Klute ◽

Marjan Laekeman ◽

Katrin Kuss ◽

Frank Petzke ◽

Angela Dieterich ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Construct Validity ◽

Psychometric Properties ◽

Cultural Adaptation ◽

Central Sensitization ◽

Screening Tool ◽

Factor Analyses ◽

Individual Subject ◽

Culturally Adapted ◽

Symptom Load ◽

Central Sensitization Inventory

Abstract Background The Central Sensitization Inventory (CSI) is a screening tool designed to detect symptoms related to Central Sensitization (CS) and Central Sensitivity Syndromes (CSS) by measuring the degree of related phenomena. The objective of this study was to create a German, culturally-adapted version of the CSI and to test its psychometric properties. Methods A German version of the CSI (CSI-GE) was developed, culturally-adapted, and pretested for comprehensibility. The psychometric properties of the resulting version were validated in a clinical study with chronic pain and pain-free control subjects. To assess retest reliability, the CSI-GE was administered twice to a subgroup of patients. Structural validity was tested using factor analyses. To investigate construct validity a hypotheses testing approach was used, including (1) correlations between the CSI-GE and several other well-established questionnaires as well as (2) an investigation of the CSI-GE discriminative power between different subgroups of participants believed to have different degrees of CS. Results The CSI-GE showed excellent reliability, including high test-retest characteristics. Factor analyses confirmed a bi-factor dimensionality as has been determined previously. Analysing construct validity 6 out of 11 hypotheses (55%) were met. CSI-GE scores differentiated between subgroups according to expectations. Correlations between CSI-GE scores and other questionnaires suggested that none of the correlated constructs was identical, but there was overlap with other questionnaires based on symptom load. Several correlations did not fit with our current understanding of CS. Conclusion The CSI-GE appears to be a reliable tool for measuring CS/CSS-related symptomatology. Whether this implies that the CSI-GE measures the degree of CS within an individual subject remains unknown. The resulting score should be interpreted cautiously until further clarification of the construct.

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