Evaluation of maladaptive beliefs in patients with migraine: measurement properties for three versions (TSK-11, TSK-13, and TSK-17) of the Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia

Abstract

Background: The Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia (TSK) is one of the most frequently employed instruments for assessing maladaptive beliefs about pain, injury, and movement in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain. However, the measurement properties of this tool have so far not been tested for individuals with migraine.

Objective: To evaluate the structural, construct, and criterion validity, and the internal consistency for three versions (TSK-11, TSK-13, and TSK-17) of the TSK for patients with migraine.

Methods: A total of 113 individuals aged between 18 and 55 years old with migraine diagnosis were included. All participants completed the TSK with 17 items, the Fear-Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire, the Headache Impact Test, and the Pain Catastrophizing Scale questionnaires. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to assess the structural validity of the TSK, and Cronbach's α was used to assess internal consistency. For construct and criterion validity, the Spearman's correlation was calculated.

Results: The TSK structure with one factor and the 17, 13, or 11 items versions were suitable, with suitable values in all fit indices related to structural validity. The three versions showed acceptable internal consistency (α = 0.75). All TSK versions showed moderate positive correlation with the other questionnaires (rho range= 0.31-0.63), confirming most of the predefined hypothesis for the construct validity. Also, the criterion validity of the 13-item and 11-item versions was confirmed (rho=0.95 and rho=0.94, respectively).

Conclusion: All versions of the TSK demonstrated good measurement properties in the assessment of maladaptive beliefs about pain, injury, and movement in individuals with migraine.

Keywords: Kinesiophobia; Migraine; Questionnaire; Validity study.