Correlation of DASH and QuickDASH With Measures of Psychological Distress

PurposeIn an attempt to shorten the questionnaires given to patients in both clinical and research settings, we studied whether the correlation of commonly used psychological measures was comparable for the standard Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) and the shorter QuickDASH questionnaires.MethodsA cohort of 839 patients with carpal tunnel syndrome, trigger finger, de Quervain's disease, trapeziometacarpal arthrosis, lateral epicondylosis, or a distal radius fracture 2 weeks after surgery, who completed the DASH and 1 or more measures of psychological distress, was created from 10 databases from previously implemented studies. Correlations of the DASH and the QuickDASH with several measures of psychological factors (Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale [CES-D], Pain Catastrophizing Scale [PCS], and Pain Anxiety Symptoms Scale [PASS-40]) were calculated in both univariate and multivariable analyses.ResultsThere was a large correlation between the DASH and QuickDASH (r = 0.79; p < .001). QuickDASH scores were significantly higher than DASH scores (p < .001). Correlations of the CES-D, PCS, and PASS-40 with the DASH and QuickDASH ranged from small to medium (range, 0.21–0.31; p < .001). There were no significant differences between correlations of the DASH and the QuickDASH with the psychological factors in the cohort including all patients, nor in subgroups according to diagnosis, gender, and limb dominance.ConclusionsThe correlations of the DASH and QuickDASH with the CES-D, PCS, and PASS-40 were comparable. Our analysis suggests that a shorter and therefore potentially more practical measure of arm-specific disability can be used in studies that evaluate psychosocial aspects of illness behavior.Type of study/level of evidencePrognostic III.