Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (PSEQ): Assessment Tool

The PSEQ measures how confident patients feel doing daily tasks while in pain. This self-report tool helps clinicians plan chronic pain treatments and track recovery progress.

Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (PSEQ) PDF assessment form for evaluating pain coping confidence.
PSEQ

Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (PSEQ)

The Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (PSEQ) is a 10-item tool assessing a patient's confidence in performing activities despite pain. It helps clinicians understand coping beliefs, which are key to managing chronic conditions. High scores suggest better functional recovery and pain management.

Category

Mental health
Physical health
Rehabilitation

Disease

Assessment
Rehabilitation
Mental Health

Source

(Nicholas, 2007)

Author Name

Nicholas, M.K. (1989)

Page Editor

Thijs Sondag

What is Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (PSEQ)

The Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (PSEQ) is a trusted tool for measuring how confident patients feel doing daily tasks while living with pain. This ten-item scale looks at a person's belief in their ability to function despite ongoing discomfort. It focuses on general daily activities rather than specific movements. Patients rate their confidence on a seven-point scale ranging from zero to six. A zero means they are not confident at all, while a six shows complete confidence. Total scores go up to sixty, and higher numbers suggest stronger coping skills and resilience. Clinicians use this tool to predict treatment outcomes and track progress over time. It is quick to complete and helps identify patients who might need more support managing their condition. Understanding these beliefs allows therapists to plan better rehabilitation programs for long-term relief.

PSEQ Scoring

The Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire can be scored using one main approach: simply adding up the item responses. Participants rate ten specific activities on a scale from 0 (not at all confident) to 6 (completely confident). To get the total, just add these numbers together for a final score ranging from 0 to 60. Higher numbers mean the patient feels more capable of handling daily life despite their pain. Generally, a total under 17 suggests low confidence, while anything over 40 indicates strong coping skills. It is a straightforward way to track progress during rehab.

View scoring form

Advantages

Treatment planning

Develops personalised strategies based on assessment data.

Outcome tracking

Measures healthcare intervention results systematically.

Efficient collection

Streamlines research data gathering process.

Reliable data

Provides consistent measurements for clinical research.

5
Minutes
10
Questions

Streamline Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire data collection with WeGuide

Digitise the PSEQ to track patient confidence and rehabilitation progress. Simplify pain management with automated scoring.

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