The reliability and validity of the visual analog mood scales in non-english-speaking pain patients
Pain Practice, 05/04/2012

House ED et al. – Given the evidence of strong reliability and validity, the visual Analog Mood Scales (VAMS) may be useful as a clinical diagnostic tool when administered to non–English–speaking pain populations.

• The VAMS and another frequently administered measure of mood, the Profile of Mood States (POMS), were administered to sixty patients at a headache clinic in Milan, Italy.
• The VAMS and POMS were both administered before and after a regularly scheduled appointment at the clinic.
• Multitrait–multimethod analyses were conducted to assess the validity of each subscale comprising the VAMS.

• All subscales comprising the VAMS possessed high test–retest reliability, and the confused, sad, angry, energetic, and tired subscales of the VAMS were shown to be valid when administered to a non–English–speaking pain population.
• Further, compared to age–matched controls (from available normative data), pain patients reported being significantly more confused, sad, and tense on the VAMS and significantly more tired, confused, depressed, and tense on the POMS.