Turkish Validation of the 9-Item Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia

June 23, 2026 updated by: Hatice Gül, Akdeniz University

Turkish Validity and Reliability Study of the 9-Item Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia in Individuals With Chronic Spinal Pain

This observational methodological study aims to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the 9-item Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia (TSK-9) in individuals with chronic spinal pain. Chronic spinal pain is commonly associated with fear of movement, avoidance behavior, pain catastrophizing, and disability. Therefore, a short and practical Turkish measurement tool may be useful for both clinical assessment and research.

Participants with chronic neck or low back pain will complete self-report questionnaires, including the Turkish TSK-9, the Fear-Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire, the Pain Catastrophizing Scale, the Fear-Avoidance Components Scale, and the Numeric Pain Rating Scale. The Turkish TSK-9 will be administered again 7 days after the first assessment in a subgroup of participants to evaluate test-retest reliability.

No intervention, invasive procedure, clinical test, or laboratory test will be performed. Data will be collected online using Google Forms.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

This study is an observational methodological validation study designed to investigate the psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the 9-item Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia (TSK-9) in individuals with chronic spinal pain.

The original Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia is a widely used measure for evaluating fear of movement and reinjury in people with pain. However, shorter versions of the scale have been proposed in the literature, and the 9-item version includes two domains: activity avoidance and somatic focus. The purpose of this study is to translate, culturally adapt, and evaluate the validity and reliability of the Turkish TSK-9 in individuals with chronic neck or low back pain.

The study will be conducted online. Participants will be recruited through social media announcements and will complete the study questionnaires using Google Forms. Eligible participants will be adults aged 18 to 50 years who report chronic spinal pain lasting longer than 3 months and a self-reported pain intensity of at least 3 points on the Numeric Pain Rating Scale.

The first assessment will include sociodemographic and clinical questions, the Turkish TSK-9, the Fear-Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire, the Pain Catastrophizing Scale, the Fear-Avoidance Components Scale, and the Numeric Pain Rating Scale. Pain intensity will be assessed both at rest and during activity. To evaluate test-retest reliability, the Turkish TSK-9 will be administered again 7 days after the first assessment in participants who agree to complete the second evaluation.

The study will include at least 90 participants. This sample size was determined according to the commonly used participant-to-item ratio of 10 participants per item for questionnaire validation studies. Since the TSK-9 includes 9 items, a minimum of 90 participants is planned.

Reliability will be examined using internal consistency and test-retest reliability analyses. Internal consistency will be assessed using Cronbach's alpha. Test-retest reliability will be evaluated using the intraclass correlation coefficient, 95% confidence interval, standard error of measurement, and minimal detectable change. Construct validity will be examined by analyzing the correlations between the Turkish TSK-9 and measures of fear-avoidance beliefs, pain catastrophizing, fear-avoidance components, and pain intensity.

No treatment, intervention, invasive procedure, clinical test, or laboratory test will be applied in this study. Participation is voluntary, and the study is not expected to involve any physical risk or harm to participants.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

90

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
    • Konyaaltı
      • Antalya, Konyaaltı, Turkey (Türkiye), 07070
        • Akdeniz University

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

The study population will consist of adults aged 18 to 65 years with chronic spinal pain, including chronic neck or low back pain lasting longer than 3 months. Participants will be recruited online through social media announcements and will complete the study questionnaires using Google Forms. Eligible participants will be individuals who report a pain intensity score of 3 or higher on the Numeric Pain Rating Scale and who are able to read and understand Turkish.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Being between 18 and 65 years of age
  • Having chronic spinal pain lasting longer than 3 months
  • Having neck or low back pain
  • Having a self-reported pain intensity score of 3 or higher on the Numeric Pain Rating Scale
  • Volunteering to participate in the study
  • Being able to read and understand Turkish

Exclusion Criteria:

  • History of spinal surgery
  • History of vertebral fracture
  • Diagnosis of radiculopathy and/or disc herniation with neurological involvement
  • Use of analgesic medication within the last 7 days
  • History of cancer
  • Self-reported serious neurological disease
  • Self-reported serious psychiatric disease

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Intervention / Treatment
Patient with chronic spinal pain
Other: Questionnaire-based assessment
Participants will complete self-report questionnaires, including the Turkish 9-item Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia, Fear-Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire, Pain Catastrophizing Scale, Fear-Avoidance Components Scale, and Numeric Pain Rating Scale. The Turkish 9-item Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia will be administered again 7 days after the first assessment in a subgroup of participants to evaluate test-retest reliability. No treatment, invasive procedure, clinical test, or laboratory test will be performed.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Turkish version 9-item Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia
Time Frame: Baseline and 7 days
The Turkish 9-item Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia (TSK-9) is a self-report questionnaire used to assess fear of movement and reinjury in individuals with pain. The scale consists of 9 items and two domains: activity avoidance and somatic focus. Each item is scored on a 4-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 4 (strongly agree). The activity avoidance domain includes 5 items and ranges from 5 to 20 points. The somatic focus domain includes 4 items and ranges from 4 to 16 points. Higher scores indicate greater kinesiophobia.
Baseline and 7 days

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Fear-Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire
Time Frame: Baseline
The Fear-Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire is a self-report questionnaire used to assess fear-avoidance beliefs related to physical activity and work. It includes 16 items and two subscales: a physical activity subscale and a work subscale. Each item is scored on a 7-point Likert scale ranging from 0 (completely disagree) to 6 (completely agree). Higher scores indicate greater fear-avoidance beliefs.
Baseline
Pain Catastrophizing Scale
Time Frame: Baseline
The Pain Catastrophizing Scale is a self-report questionnaire used to assess catastrophic thoughts and feelings related to pain. It consists of 13 items and includes three subscales. Each item is scored on a 5-point scale. The total score ranges from 0 to 52, with higher scores indicating greater pain catastrophizing.
Baseline
Fear-Avoidance Components Scale
Time Frame: Baseline
The Fear-Avoidance Components Scale is a self-report questionnaire used to assess cognitive, behavioral, and emotional components of fear avoidance in individuals with painful medical conditions. It consists of 20 items scored from 0 (completely disagree) to 5 (completely agree). The total score ranges from 0 to 100. Higher scores indicate greater fear avoidance.
Baseline
Numeric Pain Rating Scale
Time Frame: Baseline
The Numeric Pain Rating Scale is used to assess self-reported pain intensity. Participants rate their pain intensity on an 11-point scale ranging from 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst imaginable pain). Pain intensity will be assessed at rest and during activity. Higher scores indicate greater pain intensity.
Baseline

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Akdeniz University

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

May 17, 2025

Primary Completion (Actual)

May 30, 2026

Study Completion (Actual)

June 5, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

June 23, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 23, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

June 29, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

June 29, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 23, 2026

Last Verified

June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • TBAEK-613/03.07.2025

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

Individual participant data will not be shared because the study data will be collected from human participants and may include potentially identifiable demographic and clinical information. Data will be used only by the research team for the purposes of this methodological validation study. Aggregate results will be reported in scientific publications without identifying any participant.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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