West Haven-Yale Multidimensional Pain Inventory

Cancer: (Cetin et al., 2016; n = 520; mean age= 52.05 (10.06) years; Turkish Sample- translated version)

• The criterion validity was determined through item analysis of the differences between averages of upper-lower group item scores. The differences between the mean scores of the items of the upper and lower groups were statistically significant.

Cancer: (Cetin et al., 2016; n = 520; mean age= 52.05 (10.06) years; Turkish Sample- translated version)

• Convergent/divergent validity of the Turkish WHYMPI was investigated by correlation with the Turkish Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Results found that section 1 of the WHYMPI had statistically significant positive correlations with the BDI. When perceived pain intensity increased, depression also increased. They also found that section 3 of the WHYMPI had statistically significant negative correlations with the BDI. When patients' performance of common activities increased, depression decreased.

Cancer: (Cetin et al., 2016; n = 520; mean age= 52.05 (10.06) years; Turkish Sample- translated version)

• Content validity was established through seven experts. The Kendall’s coefficient of concordance was nonsignificant across the sample (Kendall’s W = 0.188, p = 0.064). This indicates that there is no statistically significant difference between between the expert opinions of each item

Chronic Pain Patients: (Kerns et al, 1985; n = 120; mean age = 50.8 (14.5) years; mean duration to pain = 10.2 years; 36.4% reported lower back pain)

Chronic Pain Patients: (Kerns et al, 1985; n = 120; mean age = 50.8 (14.5) years; mean duration to pain = 10.2 years; 36.4% reported lower back pain)

Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain: (Bergstrom et al, 1998; n = 682; mean age = 41.8 (9.4); duration of pain = 67.9 (70.4) months; Swedish sample)

Chronic pain (Lousberg et al., 1999; n = 733; mean age = 42.5 (9.7) Dutch sample- translated version)

Chronic Pain: (Verra et al., 2012 n=204 for test-retest correlation, mean age= 46.8 (16.7–72.8), Swiss sample)

Test-retest reliability of mean MPI scale scores and Internal consistency of the items at scale level for all subjects (n = 204)

Back Pain: (Gulcelik et al., 2020)

• Excellent test-retest reliability for subscale section A: (ICC = 0.94)
• Adequate test-retest reliability for subscale section B: (ICC = 0.87)
• Excellent test-retest reliability for subscale section C: (ICC = 0.97)

Chronic Pain Patients: (Kerns et al, 1985; n = 60)

Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain: (Bergstrom et al, 1998; n = 682; mean age = 41.8 (9.4); duration of pain = 67.9 (70.4) months; Swedish sample)

Chronic Pain: (Abayabandara-Herath et al., 2025; n = 150; Mean Age = 56.49 (12.29) years; age range = 20 to 76 years; Sinhalese translation of WHYMPI into WHYMPI-S)

• Adequate: Cronbach’s alpha = 0.745

Back Pain: (Gulcelik et al., 2020)

• Excellent for subscale section A: (Cronbach's alpha = 0.97*)
• Excellent for subscale section B: (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.93*)
• Excellent for subscale section C: (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.99*)

*Scores higher than 0.9 may indicate redundancy in the scale questions.

Convergent Validity:

Chronic Pain Patients: (Kerns et al, 1985)

• Excellent correlation between the affective stress dimension of the WHYMPI and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-State form (STAI-S): r = 0.86
• Excellent  correlation between the affective stress dimension of the WHYMPI and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI): r = 0.76
• Excellent correlation between affective stress dimension of the WHYMPI and the Depression Adjective Check List (DACL): r = 0.68
• Excellent  correlation between measured support from others by the WHYMPI and the Marital Adjustment Scale (MAS): r = 0.71
• Adequate correlation between measured support from others of the WHYMPI and the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control (MHLC)-Powerful Others Scale: r = 0.35
• Adequate correlation between the activity level dimension of the WHYMPI and the McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ)- Total Pain Rating Index and Present Pain Intensity: r = 0.47 and 0.44, respectively

Chronic Pain: (Riley et al., 1999; n = 472 mean age = 44.1 (13.6)) Construct validity of each section of the WHYMPI was assessed with principal axis factor analysis procedure.

Section one yielded four factors with an eigenvalue greater than 1, which accounted for 69.6% of total variance:

• interference scale
• support scale
• self-control and negative mood scale (lack of psychological adjustment)
• pain severity scale

Problematic cross loading across factors were observed for 3 items: item 12 (amount of suffering experienced because of pain), item 13 (pain affects marital and family relationships), and item 19 (pain affects friendships with other than family members).

Section two yielded three factors with an eigenvalue greater than one, which accounted for 62.7% of variance:

• solicitous response scale
• punishing response scale
• distracting response scale

Cross loadings were observed for item 3 (reads to me) and item 6 (talks to me to take my mind off the pain), providing evidence for lack of divergence between distracting and solicitous scale items.

Section 3 yielded three factors with an eigenvalue greater than 1, which accounted for 54% of total variance:

• household chores scale
• outdoor work scale
• activities away from home scale
• social activities scale

No cross loadings observed for this section.

Chronic Pain in Elderly Adults (76-99 years old): (Jakobsson et al., 2006; n= 175 mean age = 84.9 (5.4); Swedish sample- translated version)

• The full length instrument showed acceptable validity and reliability for some parts of the instrument but showed no satisfactory factor structure was found for section 1 or section 2 of the instrument. Overall, It had acceptable convergent and discriminant validity, but the factor analysis did not show a good model fit. The brief screening version, however, showed higher reliability and validity.

Low Back Pain: (Bernstein et al., 1995; n = 194, mean age = NR; SD = NR)

Construct validity of the WHYMPI was assessed with factor analysis with commonly utilized measures found relevant to pain including:

• Pain duration in days
• Self-efficacy: worry
• Self-efficacy: confidence
• Pain disability
• Self-esteem
• The somatization scale of the Symptom Checklist 90 revised (SCL-90-R)
• The GSI index of the SCL-90-R

Results found that the MPI possesses convergent validity because it significantly correlates with other measures of psychosocial adjustment in pain patients.

Back Pain: (Gulcelik et al., 2020)

• Excellent correlation between WHYMPI-T subscale section A scores and BPI-Pain Severity Scale scores (r = 0.621)
• Adequate to Excellent correlations between WHYMPI-T subscale sections A and C scores and BPI-Activity Effect Scale scores (r = 0.609 and r = -0.321, respectively)
• Adequate correlations between WHYMPI-T subscale sections A and C scores and MPQ-Pain Quality Scale scores (r = 0.438 and r = -0.382, respectively)
• Adequate correlation between WHYMPI-T subscale section C scores and BDI scale scores (r = -0.502)
• Adequate correlations between WHYMPI-T subscale sections A and C scores and ODI scale scores (r = 0.526 and r = -0.310, respectively)
• Adequate correlations between WHYMPI-T subscale sections A and C scores and SF-36 PCS scale scores (r = -0.586 and r = 0.383, respectively)

Chronic Pain: (Abayabandara-Herath et al., 2025)

• Poor correlations between the total WHYMPI-S score on part III (assessing general activity) and scores on the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Visual Analog Scale (VAS) (r = -0.152 and r = 0.112, respectively)

Discriminant Validity:

Back Pain: (Gulcelik et al., 2020)

• Significant ability of total IKDC scores to discriminate between upper and lower scoring groups (t = -13.07, p = 0.00) 

Chronic Pain Patients: (Kerns et al, 1985; from the original validation study)

Three separate sections of the West Haven-Yale Multidimensional Pain Inventory, WHYMPI) were created:

• The first section addresses 5 important aspects of the pain experience: interference in areas of functioning, support from others, severity, self-control, and negative mood.
• The second section addresses perceived responses of others to the communicated pain in three types: negative (punishing), solicitous, and distracting responses.
• The third section of the WHYMPI assesses the patient’s reported activity in 4 areas: household chores, outdoor work, activities away from home, and social activities.

Chronic Pain: (Abayabandara-Herath et al., 2025)

• Content validity was examined by three translators making a pooled version to ensure quality. One translator translated it back to English. The original questionnaire was compared to the English version for understanding. The final Sinhalese version of the WHYMPI was given to 10 selected patients with chronic pain who were asked about clarity of questions to make further changes to the WHYMPI-S (p. 22).

Inpatient Sample: (Broderick et al, 2004; n = 199; mean age approximately 50 (11) years; interval between the two samples examined was significantly different (treatment sample = 19.4 days versus 33.7 days for the mail sample)

Temporomandibular Disorder: (Andreu et al, 2006; n = 114, mean age = 35 (14) years)

Fibromyalgia: (Turk and Rudy, 1988; n = 48) Three subtypes based on WHYMPI scores were created; these include:

• Dysfunctional (DYS)
• Interpersonally Distressed (ID)
• Adaptive Copers (AC)

6 treatment sessions spaced over 4 weeks resulted in significantly different levels of functioning.  DYS patients experienced reductions in pain, affective distress and perceived interference of pain while ID patients exhibited poor responses to treatment.  AC patients demonstrated reductions in pain, but not affective distress or disability.