Validation and Investigation of Cross Cultural Equivalence of the Fremantle Back Awareness Questionnaire - German Version (FreBAQ-G)

Overview

Journal BMC Musculoskelet Disord

Publisher Biomed Central

Specialties Orthopedics
Physiology

Date 2021 Apr 2

PMID 33794840

Citations 2

Authors

Axel Schafer

Benedict M Wand

Kerstin Ludtke

Katja Ehrenbrusthoff

Thomas Schottker-Koniger

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Disrupted self-perception of the low back might contribute to chronic non-specific low back pain. The Fremantle back awareness questionnaire is a simple questionnaire to assess back specific self-perception. The questionnaire has recently been translated to German (FreBAQ-G). The aim was to further investigate the psychometric properties of the FreBAQ-G, to evaluate its cross cultural validity in patients with chronic non-specific LBP and to explore potential relationships between body perception, pain, disability and back pain beliefs.

Methods: In this cross-sectional multicentre study, sample data were merged with data from the validation sample of the original English version to examine cross-cultural validity. Item Response Theory was used to explore psychometric properties and differential item function (DIF) to evaluate cross-cultural validity and item invariance. Correlations and multiple linear regression analyses were used to explore the relationship between altered back specific self- perception and back pain parameters.

Results: Two hundred seventy-two people with chronic low back pain completed the questionnaires. The FreBAQ-G showed good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.84), good overall reliability (r = 0.84) and weak to moderate scalability (Loevinger Hj between 0.34 and 0.48). The questionnaire showed unidimensional properties with factor loadings between 0.57 and 0.80 and at least moderate correlations (r > 0.35) with pain intensity, pain related disability and fear avoidance beliefs (FABQ total - and subscores). Item and test properties of the FreBAQ-G are given. Only item 7 showed uniform DIF indicating acceptable cross-cultural validity.

Conclusions: Our results indicate that the FreBAQ-G is a suitable questionnaire to measure back specific self-perception, and has comparable properties to the English-language version.

Citing Articles

The Fremantle Back Awareness Questionnaire: cross-cultural adaptation, reliability, and validity of the Italian version in people with chronic low back pain.

Monticone M, Maurandi C, Porcu E, Arippa F, Wand B, Corona G BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2024; 25(1):279.

PMID: 38605331 PMC: 11007946. DOI: 10.1186/s12891-024-07420-2.

The effect of visually manipulating back size and morphology on back perception, body ownership, and attitudes towards self-capacity during a lifting task.

Themelis K, Ratcliffe N, Nishigami T, Wand B, Newport R, Stanton T Psychol Res. 2021; 86(6):1816-1829.

PMID: 34727227 PMC: 9363286. DOI: 10.1007/s00426-021-01609-z.

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