Papers of the Week

To perform the translation and cross-cultural adaptation of Back Beliefs Questionnaire to Turkish language and evaluate its reliability and validity. Back Beliefs Questionnaire was translated and culturally adapted into Turkish regarding to the published guidelines. This observational cross-sectional study was performed with 110 chronic low back pain patients. All participants were asked to complete Back Beliefs Questionnaire and also fill the socio-demographic data form and evaluation tools (Numeric rating scale-pain, Oswestry Disability Index, Fear Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale). Internal consistency was evaluated with Cronbach's alfa coefficient. Intraclass correlation coefficient was used to assess test-retest reliability. Structural validity was assessed by correlations with other tools. Back Beliefs Questionnaire had a good internal consistency (Cronbach alfa = 0.79) and an excellent test-retest reliability (Intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.84). A moderate correlation was determined between Back Beliefs Questionnaire and Fear Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire. Correlations with Numeric rating scale-pain, Oswestry Disability Index, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale were fair. Turkish version of Back Beliefs Questionnaire is a valid and reliable questionnaire that can be used to evaluate beliefs about pain in patients with chronic low back pain. IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION Negative attitudes and beliefs about low back pain cause patients to avoid engaging in physical activities and consequently lead to disability. The Back Belief Questionnaire can be used to evaluate these negative attitudes and beliefs to determine whether the patient will suffer from a disability in the future. Informations obtained with the Back Belief Questionnaire can be used to train the susceptible patients to prevent the development of disability and to promote patient participation in daily life. The Turkish version of Back Belief Questionnaire is a valid and reliable tool that can be used to assess back pain beliefs in Turkish-speaking individuals to prevent potential disability and burden to the economy.