Reliability and validity of the simplified Chinese version of the Musculoskeletal Health Questionnaire (MSK-HQ-C) in patients with non-specific chronic neck pain

A cross-cultural adaptation and validation study

Bibliographic Data

ID15699379
AuthorsWenbo Diao (Zhoukou City Academy of Agricultural Sciences), Peng Wang (0000-0003-3639-6126, First Affiliated Hospital of Hebei Medical University, corresponding author), Pengyi Wei (Hebei Institute of Physical Education), Xiaosong Huang (Luye Pharma (China)), Lulu Jia (Hospital of Hebei Province)
Year2026
Volume14
Issue1
Publication date2026-03-12
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueBMC Psychology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2050-7283 • E-ISSN: 2050-7283
PublisherBioMed Central (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1186/s40359-026-04288-w
PMID41821128
OpenAlexW7135131202
LanguageEN
References cited12

The Musculoskeletal Health Questionnaire (MSK-HQ) is a 14-item instrument designed to holistically assess musculoskeletal health across domains of pain, physical function, sleep, emotional well-being, and social participation. This study aimed to translate and cross-culturally adapt MSK-HQ into a Simplified Chinese version (MSK-HQ-C), and evaluate the reliability and validity of MSK-HQ-C in patients with non-specific chronic neck pain. A total of 150 participants were included in this study. Internal consistency was estimated according to Cronbach’s alpha. Test-retest reliability was assessed by Intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) based on completions from all participants at a 7–14 day interval. Construct validity was analyzed by correlations between MSK-HQ-C and the EuroQol-5 Dimensions-5 Levels (EQ-5D-5 L), Copenhagen Neck Function Disability Scale (CNFDS) as well as the short form (36) health survey (SF-36). The structural, convergent, and discriminant validity of the questionnaire were assessed using factor analysis and correlation analyses. The original version of the MSK-HQ was cross-culturally adapted and translated into Simplified Chinese following the guidelines by Beaton et al. MSK-HQ-C was indicated to have excellent reliability (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.922, ICC = 0.822). Moderate to substantial correlations between MSK-HQ-C and EQ-5D-Total (r= .648, p < .001), EQ-5D-VAS (r= .707, p < .001), CNFDS (r = − .759, p < .001), as well as physical function (r= .594, p < .001), role-physical (r= .407, p < .001), bodily pain (r= .512, p < .001) and general health (r= .496, p < .001) subscales of SF-36 were observed. An exploratory factor analysis revealed that the 2-factor loading explained 74.206% of the variance (KMO = 0.919; Bartlett’s test of sphericity: χ2 = 1855.421, p < .001). MSK-HQ-C was demonstrated to have acceptable reliability and validity in patients with non-specific chronic neck pain, which could be recommended for patients in Chinese mainland

Adaptation (eye · MEDLINE · Psychological research · Psychometrics · Reliability (semiconductor · Validity · Musculoskeletal pain and rehabilitation · Myofascial pain diagnosis and treatment · Spine and Intervertebral Disc Pathology

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