Spanish translation, cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Argentine version of the Back Pain Attitudes Questionnaire

Background: low back pain (LBP) is the main cause of years lived with disability worldwide. Psychosocial factors have been shown to be good predictors of persistent LBP. Within these, unhelpful beliefs about the back seem to be important in the development and chronicity of the symptoms. The Back Pain Attitudes Questionnaire (Back-PAQ) is an instrument that explores beliefs about the back that has been validated for people with and without back pain and healthcare professionals. However, until now, it has not been translated and validated for the Argentine population. Objective: translate into Spanish, cross-cultural adapt and validate the Back-PAQ for the Argentine population with and without back pain. Study design: study of diagnostic accuracy/assessment scale. Methods: the study was carried out in three consecutive phases: translation, cross-cultural adaptation and validation. We included Argentinians aged 18 years or more. We used the Back-PAQ, modified Fear Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire (mFABQ) and the Global Rating of Change (GROC) scale to assess the psychometric properties. Results: three hundred and seventy-two participants were included for the analysis. The time taken to answer and score the questionnaire was 5.6 and 1.6 min, respectively. Neither a ceiling nor a floor effect was observed. Internal consistency was 0.76. One hundred and eighty-six participants were considered stable. Test-retest reliability was 0.90. A weak correlation (0.33) was found between the Back-PAQ and the mFABQ. Conclusion: the Argentine version of the Back-PAQ is a viable, reliable and valid tool for the assessment of the back beliefs of the Argentine population. •The Argentine Spanish version and validation of the Back-PAQ was conducted.•The Argentine version of the Back-PAQ is a feasible tool for clinical practice.•The internal consistency and test-retest reliability were considered acceptable.•The correlation between the total score of the Back-PAQ and the mFABQ was weak.