Reliability and Validity of the Athlete Fear Avoidance Questionnaire in Turkish

Sports injuries are a frequent occurrence that many athletes experience annually. Although sports injuries cause physical pain and disorders, they also have a psychological impact. One common psychological response to sports injuries is the fear of re-injury. Other potential psychological reactions of an injured athlete include anxiety, depression, frustration, tension, and decreased self-esteem. Psychological responses to sports injuries are typically highest immediately after the injury and decrease during the rehabilitation process. However, they often relapse just before returning to sports. If left unaddressed, these heightened psychological responses can impede rehabilitation progress and delay the return to sport.

Currently, there are several scales available to measure an athlete's readiness to return to play, such as the Sports Inventory for Pain and the Injury-Psychological Readiness to Return to Sport Scale. However, it is important to note that some of these surveys were conducted with student populations rather than athletes. Additionally, these scales are designed to be applied at the end of the rehabilitation process. The Athlete Fear Avoidance Questionnaire (AFAQ) was specifically developed to assess fear avoidance or pain-related fear in athletes.

The fear avoidance model was developed to explain how individuals experiencing exaggerated pain perception separate 'pain experience' and 'pain behavior' from the actual pain sensation. High levels of fear avoidance can lead to chronic pain and disability and can predict rehabilitation time in the sports-related injury population. Therefore, considering fear avoidance may be helpful in developing an appropriate and effective rehabilitation plan, ultimately reducing the time required to return to play. The purpose of our study is to validate and assess the reliability of the Athlete Fear Avoidance Questionnaire (AFAQ) in Turkish.