Factor structure and proposed scoring revision of the Three-Dimensional Psychological Pain Scale

The development of psychometrically sound measures to assess mental pain are important because research has consistently demonstrated a robust relationship to suicide risk. The current research evaluated the Three-Dimensional Psychological Pain Scale (TDPPS) structure, a suicide-relevant measure intended to articulate pain into affective, cognitive, and behavioral facets. As the first Western study to evaluate the TDPPS structure with non-Chinese respondents, six samples comprising 1,627 adults participated. Neither confirmatory factor analyses nor exploratory structural equation modeling supported the hypothesized three-dimensional structure of the TDPPS but, instead, identified two dimensions: pain escape and pain emotions. Scales based on these two dimensions demonstrated replicability in cross-validation and score internal consistency reliability. Furthermore, validity for scores on these two scales was confirmed through moderate associations with another pain measure and scales of suicidal behavior and depression. Findings extend knowledge of TDPPS’s structure of psychological pain and suggest a scale scoring revision.