BMC Neurology, cilt.25, sa.1, 2025 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
Background: While triggering by physical activity is a criterion for the diagnosis of migraine, evaluations regarding fear of movement related to physical activity are lacking in the literature. This study aimed to investigate the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia, adapted to headache (TSK-H), in patients with episodic migraine (EM) and chronic migraine (CM). This questionnaire is a newly developed version adapted for headache, based on but different from the original TSK used in low back pain, and has not been previously validated in Turkish for headache. Methods: Patients between the ages of 18–70 were included in the study. Demographic-clinical information was obtained after expert committee evaluation and cross-cultural adaptation of the questionnaire. Numerical Pain Rating Scale (NPRS), Migraine Disability Assessment (MIDAS), Headache Impact Test-6 (HIT-6), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and TSK-H were evaluated for structural validity. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) were performed. Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) and Cronbach’s α values were analyzed for reliability. Results: A total of 329 patients (n = 148 EM, n = 181 CM) with a mean age of 37.2 ± 10.6 years for EM and 39.8 ± 13.1 years for CM were included in the study. Headache intensity on NPRS was 6.89 ± 1.86 for EM and 7.56 ± 2.10 for CM. Item-total correlations ranged from − 0.030 to 0.758. Cronbach’s α was 0.925. TSK-H had good test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.866, n = 151) and high internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.928). TSK-H was associated with NPRS, MIDAS, HIT-6 and HADS (p < 0.000 for each one). EFA identified a four-factor structure explaining 58.64% of the variance. CFA remained within acceptable limits. Conclusion: The Turkish version of the 23-item TSK-H is a valid and reliable tool for assessing kinesiophobia in patients with migraine and is significantly associated with physical, functional and psychosocial factors.