Properties of the sickness questionnaire in an Australian sample with chronic medically unexplained symptoms

Sickness behavior including malaise, fatigue and increased pain sensitivity is thought to be adaptive and facilitate recovery from disease. However, it may also reduce functioning and health if symptoms persists, which is why validated instruments for its assessment are needed. We evaluated the English translation of the Sickness Questionnaire (SicknessQ) in an Australian population of 156 participants with high level of persistent musculoskeletal pain and/or gastrointestinal symptoms without an organic explanation. The SicknessQ total score had an adequate model fit and no other models were found to fit data better. The SicknessQ correlated most strongly with fatigue, stress, anxiety and depression, which explained 62% of the variance in SicknessQ, but not with physical functioning. The mean score (8.9; 95 %CI: 8.0–9.8) was in between those previously reported in a general population sample and in primary care patients. In conclusion, the evaluation of the English version of the SicknessQ in an Australian sample with significant, chronic unexplained medical symptoms supports the use of the English version of the total SicknessQ score as an overall measure of sickness behavior.