68 J Behav Health ● 2016 ● Vol 5 ● Issu 2 Journal of Behavioral Health DOI: 10.5455/jbh.20160317011234 www.scopemed.org INTRODUCTION Chronic non-cancer pain (CNCP), defined as lasting longer than the anticipated healing time of 3 months, is among the most prevalent U.S. health conditions, affecting 35% of the population with annual costs exceeding $635 billion [1-3]. CNCP results from a complex interaction between biological, psychosocial, and social factors. The association between pain Reliability and validity of chronic pain scales in adults with adverse childhood experiences Deborah L. Helitzer 1 , Cristina Murray-Krezan 2 , David A. Graeber 3 , Joanna G. Katzman 4 , Daniel Duhigg 3 , Robert L. Rhyne 5 1 College of Population Health Sciences Center, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131, United States, 2 Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Preventive Medicine, University of New Mexico, MSC10-5550 1, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131-0001, United States, 3 Department of Psychiatry, University of New Mexico, MSC09 5030 1, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131-001, United States, 4 Department of Neurology, University of New Mexico, MSC 10 5615, School of Medicine, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131, United States, 5 Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of New Mexico, MSC 09 5040 1, School of Medicine, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131, United States ABSTRACT Background: Chronic non-cancer pain (CNCP) affects millions of people and is a leading cause of disability. The progression of chronic pain is closely tied to anxiety and depression but less is known about the relationship between chronic pain and adverse childhood experiences (ACE). Two commonly used pain assessments, the short form-McGill pain questionnaire-2 (McGill) and the brief pain inventory short form (BPI), have been validated in populations with CNCP patients but have not been validated in populations of CNCP patients with ACE. In addition, we wanted to assess the test-retest reliability and internal consistency of the Brief Adverse Childhood Events Survey (BRACES), an original instrument developed by the authors, with CNCP patients. Methods: This study enrolled 123 patients with CNCP from an academic multidisciplinary pain clinic at the Clinical Trials Unit of our Clinical and Translational Science Center. ACE was not inclusion criteria. All patients had one of five CNCP pain diagnoses. We administered the three instruments twice, separated by 2 weeks. The analysis compared psychometric properties of the instruments in patients who had ACE and those who did not. Results: There was significant correlation of the scores between the two participant visits (r = 0.68, 0.85) and internal consistency was high (Cronbach-α = 0.68, 0.85). Around 70% of the study participants endorsed one or more categories of ACE, and 30% of study participants endorsed four to six ACE categories. Agreement between visits for reported ACE categories was high (κ = 0.72, 0.85). Demographic and pain characteristics were not different between patients reporting ACE and those who did not. Conclusions: The McGill, BPI, and BRACES instruments were reliable and internally consistent in both populations. They also appear to be useful in evaluating the relationship between the quality (McGill), severity and interference (BPI) of CNCP in individuals with a history of ACE. Future research studying the relationship between ACE and chronic pain syndromes in adults can confidently utilize these instruments to help understand the role that ACE may play in the course of chronic pain and potential treatments. KEY WORDS: Non-cancer chronic pain, childhood adversity, instrument validation, pain scales Original Research Address for correspondence: Address for correspondence: Deborah L. Helitzer, College of Population Health Sciences Center, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131, United States. E-mail: helitzer@ salud.unm.edu Received: Received: November 23, 2015 Accepted: Accepted: February 29, 2016 Published: Published: March 22, 2016 and psychosocial comorbidities, like depression and anxiety, has been well documented [1,4-7]. Data are lacking on how best to treat CNCP with behavioral comorbidities but data suggests that improved coping skills, reduced disability, and greater resilience can improve outcomes and pain experience [8-14]. Literature examining the relationship between adverse childhood experiences (ACE) and CNCP is sparse. ACE are