Psychometric validation of the cross-culturally adapted traditional Chinese version of the Back Beliefs Questionnaire (BBQ) and Fear-Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire (FABQ)

Purpose To translate and cross-culturally adapt the Back Beliefs Questionnaire (BBQ) and Fear-Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire (FABQ) into traditional Chinese for their use in patients experiencing low back pain (LBP). Methods This was a prospective questionnaire translation and psychometric validation of the BBQ and FABQ in Chinese patients with back pain. Patients also completed the Traditional Chinese (Hong Kong) versions of the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), the Short Form-12 version 2 (SF-12v2) questionnaires and the visual analogue scale (VAS) for LBP. Construct validity was assessed using Spearman’s correlation test against the subscales and domains with similar constructs. Internal consistency was assessed by Cronbach’s alpha ( α ). Sensitivity was determined by known-group comparisons. Results A total of 100 patients were recruited. Both BBQ ( α = 0.810) and FABQ ( α = 0.859) demonstrated excellent overall internal consistency. BBQ scores significantly correlated with ODI scores, VAS-LBP and all domains of SF-12v2 ( p