Injustice Experience Questionnaire, Japanese Version: Cross-Cultural Factor-Structure Comparison and Demographics Associated with Perceived Injustice

OBJECTIVE: The Injustice Experience Questionnaire (IEQ) assesses injury-related perceived injustice. This study aimed to (1) develop a Japanese version (IEQ-J), (2) examine its factor structure, validity, and reliability, and (3) discover which demographic variable(s) positively contributed to prediction of IEQ-J scores. METHODS: Data from 71 patients (33 male, 38 female; age = 20+) with injury pain were employed to investigate factor structure by exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Concurrent validity was examined by Pearson correlation coefficients among the IEQ-J, Brief Pain Inventory (BPI), and Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS). Internal consistency was investigated by Cronbach’s alpha, and test-retest reliability was indicated with intra-class correlations (ICCs) in 42 of 71 patients within four weeks. Relations between demographic variables and IEQ-J scores were examined by covariance analysis and linear regression models. RESULTS: IEQ-J factor structure differed from the original two-factor model. A three-factor model with Severity/irreparability, Blame/unfairness, and Perceived lack of empathy was extracted. The three-factor model showed goodness-of-fit with the data and sufficient reliability (Cronbach’s alpha of 0.90 for total IEQ-J; ICCs = 0.96). Pearson correlation coefficients among IEQ-J, BPI, and PCS ranged from 0.38 to 0.73. Pain duration over a year (regression coefficient, 11.92, 95%CI; 5.95–17.89) and liability for injury on another (regression coefficient, 12.17, 95%CI; 6.38–17.96) predicted IEQ-J total scores. CONCLUSIONS: This study evidenced the IEQ-J’s sound psychometric properties. The three-factor model was the latter distinctive in the Japanese version. Pain duration over a year and injury liability by another statistically significantly increased IEQ-J scores.