Validity and reliability of the Tampa Kinesiophobia-Fatigue Scale in patients with multiple sclerosis

Abstract

Background Kinesiophobia can be a barrier for physical activity in patients with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) and it can develop as a result of fear and avoidance reactions due to fatigue. However, there is no valid and reliable scale available to assess kinesiophobia due to fatigue in PwMS. Aims To investigate the test-retest reliability and construct validity of the Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia-Fatigue (TSK-F) in PwMS. Methods Eighty-seven PwMS were included in the study. In addition to TSK-F, the following measurements were used for construct validity: Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS), Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), Fatigue Impact Scale (FIS), 6-Minute Walking Test (6MWT), International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Multiple Sclerosis Quality of Life Scale-54 (MSQoL-54). TSK-F was administered twice (3-7 days apart) to measure test-retest reliability. Results The intraclass correlation coefficient of the TSK-F was 0.867. It had a weak correlation with the IPAQ and EDSS, moderate correlation with the MSQoL-54 and 6MWT, and strong correlation with the BDI, FSS, and FIS (respectively, rho - 0.345, rho 0.365, rho 0.544, rho - 0.449, rho 0.690, rho 0.602, rho 0.650). The scale had good performance to discriminate the disease severity with the area under the curve (AUC) value 0.730. Conclusions TSK-F has excellent reliability and moderate-to-good validity in evaluating kinesiophobia and the scale may be a useful outcome measurement for assessment of kinesiophobia due to fatigue in PwMS.