Cross-cultural adaptation and psychometric properties of Brazilian versions of instruments for assessing pain sensitivity and motion sickness in individuals with migraine

• Grant number: 25/01096-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: May 01, 2025
• End date: January 31, 2027
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy
• Principal Investigator: Débora Bevilaqua Grossi
• Grantee: Felipe Daniel Sambini
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto (FMRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Migraine is a neurovascular disease which main symptom is headache, but it also presents pain hypersensitivity and motion sickness. The evaluation of these two conditions can be done with the Pain Sensitivity Questionnaire (PSQ) and Motion Sickness Susceptibility Questionnaire (MSSQ), respectively. However, these tools are not available for use in the Brazilian population, since they have not been translated and validated. Thus, the objective of this study will be to translate, cross-culturally adapt and validate the PSQ and MSSQ for the Brazilian population. Men and women aged 18 to 55 years, with a diagnosis of migraine confirmed by a neurologist, will participate in this study. The adaptation will be performed according to the international guideline and will include 30 participants. After this process, the intra-rater reliability will be tested with an interval of 1 to 3 weeks and the criterion and construct validity of the two questionnaires in 80 individuals. In the PSQ, criterion validity will be tested by correlation with thermal pain thresholds measured by the Quantitative Sensory Test (QST), and construct validity will be assessed considering the correlations between the PSQ and the Headache Impact Test, Pain Catastrophizing Scale and EQ-5D-5L questionnaires, in addition to the Pressure Pain Threshold (PPT) of the craniocervical muscles. In the MSSQ, criterion validity will be analyzed using the diagnostic criterion of motion sickness as a comparison criterion, and construct validity will be tested through the discriminative capacity of the tool, comparing the MSSQ scores between individuals with migraine and healthy individuals. Reliability will be assessed by calculating the intraclass correlation coefficient. The results of this work will enable the use of quick and practical tools to assess pain sensitivity and motion sickness in Brazilian individuals with migraine, in addition to providing valid instrument options for clinical and research settings.