The Development and Content Validity of the Fremantle Perineal Awareness Questionnaire (FrePAQ) for Use in People With Persistent Perineal Pain

Abstract

Background: Altered body awareness and perception comprise a common feature of persistent pain. The Fremantle Back Awareness Questionnaire (FreBAQ) was developed to assess body awareness and perception in people with back pain. There is no tool to measure these changes in people with persistent perineal pain. Objective: To develop the Fremantle Perineal Awareness Questionnaire (FrePAQ) to assess body awareness and perception in people with persistent perineal pain. To evaluate content validity using a qualitative survey. Study Design: Modified electronic Delphi and cross-sectional qualitative online survey. Methods: A focus group developed a draft questionnaire from the preexisting FreBAQ. A preliminary FrePAQ was developed through 3 Delphi rounds of anonymous voting by a panel of 14 experts. A qualitative survey was completed by individuals with persistent perineal pain to evaluate the comprehensiveness, comprehensibility, and relevance of the preliminary questionnaire. Responses were thematically analyzed, and demographic data were summarized descriptively. Results: Fourteen panel participants completed the Delphi study, with consensus achieved on a 9-item questionnaire after 3 rounds. One hundred thirty-five participants with persistent perineal pain completed the round 1 validation survey. Changes were made to the introduction and 7 items. A new group of 53 participants completed round 2, resulting in final changes to the introduction and 2 of the 9 items. Conclusions: An expert consensus was achieved in the wording of a new questionnaire aimed at assessing body awareness and perception in people with persistent perineal pain, which demonstrated acceptable content validity.