Outcome Measure
Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia 13-Item
What it measures?
- Kinesiophobia, defined as “an excessive, irrational, and debilitating fear of physical movement and activity resulting from a feeling of vulnerability to painful injury or rein- jury” (Liu et al., 2021), contributing to movement or activity avoidance.
Who is it for?
Adults aged 18 years +
Instrument Quality
- A systematic review of 45 studies encouraged use of the TSK-13 or TSK-17, reporting that both are valid, reliable and responsive (Dupuis et al., 2023). The authors advised against using the TSK-11, due to a lack of evidence supporting its reliability and validity. The TSK-13 and TSK-17 are widely used in pain management settings.
Structure
- 13 items
- 4-point Likert scale
- Respondents indicate the extent to which they agree (1 = "Strongly disagree"; 4 = "Strongly agree") with items that reflect Kinesiophobic beliefs (e.g. "1. I am afraid that I might injure myself accidentally")
Scoring instructions
- Sum full-scale and subscale item responses to derive the full-scale and subscale scores.
| Subscale | Item number |
|---|---|
Full-scale (TSK-13) |
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13 |
Somatic Focus |
3,4,5,6,9 |
Activity Avoidance |
1,2,7,8,10,11,12,13 |
Score Interpretation
What higher scores mean?
- More severe Kinesiophobia, which is associated with higher levels of pain, disability and poorer outcomes following treatment (Dupuis et al., 2023)
How to assess symptom severity & change?
| Description | Score Range | |
|---|---|---|
| Sub-clinical | 13 | |
| Mild | 23 | |
| Moderate | 33 | |
| Severe | 43 | |
| Maximum | 52 |
| Description | Score Range | |
|---|---|---|
| Below low back pain mean | 5 | |
| Low back pain mean | 11.78 | |
| 1 SD above low back pain mean | 15.18 | |
| 2 SD above low back pain mean | 18.58 | |
| Maximum | 20 |
Severity ranges
Values for mean (19.81) and sd (4.78) are taken from by research by Goubert et al (2004) examining the factor structure of the TSK, using a sample of patients with low back pain (N = 188).
Reliable change and clinically significant improvement
Wampold et al (2001) conducted a meta analysis of psychotherapy outcome studies and noted that the average improvement was reflected in an effect size (ES) of .80. Because a change of 1 SD corresponds to an ES of 1.0, and .80 is considered to be a large ES, Wise (2004) concludes that a change of 1 SD is a defensible indicator of clinically significant change.
| Description | Score Range | |
|---|---|---|
| Below low back pain mean | 8 | |
| Low back pain mean | 19.81 | |
| 1 SD above low back pain mean | 24.59 | |
| 2 SD above low back pain mean | 29.37 | |
| Maximum | 32 |
Severity ranges
Values for mean (19.81) and sd (4.78) are taken from by research by Goubert et al (2004) examining the factor structure of the TSK, using a sample of patients with low back pain (N = 188).
Reliable change and clinically significant improvement
Wampold et al (2001) conducted a meta analysis of psychotherapy outcome studies and noted that the average improvement was reflected in an effect size (ES) of .80. Because a change of 1 SD corresponds to an ES of 1.0, and .80 is considered to be a large ES, Wise (2004) concludes that a change of 1 SD is a defensible indicator of clinically significant change.
Instrument developers
- Miller RP, Kori S, Todd D. The Tampa Scale: A measure of kinesiophobia. Clin J Pain 1991;7(1):51-52.
Refrences
Dupuis F, Cherif A, Batcho C, Massé-Alarie H, Roy JS. The Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia: A Systematic Review of Its Psychometric Properties in People With Musculoskeletal Pain. The Clinical Journal of Pain. 2023 May;39(5):236-247. DOI: 10.1097/ajp.0000000000001104. PMID: 36917768
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Severity ranges
Values for mean (19.81) and sd (4.78) are taken from by research by Goubert et al (2004) examining the factor structure of the TSK, using a sample of patients with low back pain (N = 188).
Reliable change and clinically significant improvement
Wampold et al (2001) conducted a meta analysis of psychotherapy outcome studies and noted that the average improvement was reflected in an effect size (ES) of .80. Because a change of 1 SD corresponds to an ES of 1.0, and .80 is considered to be a large ES, Wise (2004) concludes that a change of 1 SD is a defensible indicator of clinically significant change.
Reliability