Psychometric properties of the Tampa Scale for kinesiophobia and the fear-avoidance beliefs questionnaire in acute low back pain

Man Ther. 2003 Feb;8(1):29-36. doi: 10.1054/math.2002.0484.

Abstract

The transition from acute to chronic low back pain (LBP) is influenced by many interacting factors. Pain-related fear, as measured by the Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia (TSK) and the Fear-Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire (FABQ), is one of these factors. The objectives of this study were to investigate, in a population with acute LBP, the reliability of TSK and FABQ through evaluation of the internal consistency, the test-retest reliability, and the concurrent validity between TSK and FABQ. One hundred and Seventy-Six patients suffering LBP for no longer than 4 weeks completed a Visual Analogue Scale for pain (VAS), the TSK, the FABQ, and a socio-demographic questionnaire. Each patient completed the VAS, TSK, and FABQ twice within 24 h. Internal consistency of TSK and FABQ scores range from alpha=0.70 to 0.83. Test-retest reliability ranges from r(s)=0.64 to 0.80 (P<0.01). Concurrent validity is moderate, ranging from r(s) =0.33 to 0.59 (P<0.01). It may be concluded that in a population with acute LBP, both the TSK and the FABQ are reliable measures of pain-related fear. In the clinical setting they may provide the practitioner a means of identifying pain-related fear in a patient with acute LBP.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Acute Disease
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Fear*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Low Back Pain / physiopathology
  • Low Back Pain / psychology*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Pain Measurement / methods*
  • Psychometrics
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Research Design
  • Severity of Illness Index
  • Surveys and Questionnaires / standards*