Validity and reliability of the Turkish versions of the pain catastrophizing scale and Tampa kinesiophobia scale short forms in chronic musculoskeletal pain

Objective This study aimed to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Turkish versions of the Pain Catastrophizing Scale–5 (PCS-5) and the Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia–6 (TSK-6) in individuals with chronic musculoskeletal pain (CMSP). Methods A total of 174 participants with CMSP (115 females, 59 males; mean age: 43.81 ± 14.60 years) were included. Internal consistency, test–retest reliability, structural validity, and criterion validity were assessed. Exploratory factor analysis was performed to examine the underlying factor structure of the scales. Results The PCS-5 demonstrated good internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.802), moderate test–retest reliability (ICC = 0.729), and a one-factor structure explaining 56.37% of the variance. Item–rest correlations ranged from 0.488 to 0.688. The TSK-6 demonstrated moderate internal consistency (α = 0.608) and moderate test–retest reliability (ICC = 0.740). Item 6 showed poor psychometric performance, with an item–rest correlation of 0.007 and a factor loading of 0.012. An exploratory analysis excluding item 6 resulted in improved internal consistency (α = 0.690) and a one-factor structure. Criterion validity analyses showed significant positive correlations of the PCS-5 with the PCS-13 (ρ = 0.708), TSK-17 (ρ = 0.438), and FABQ-physical activity (ρ = 0.377). The TSK-6 correlated with the PCS-13 (ρ = 0.549), TSK-17 (ρ = 0.504), and FABQ-physical activity (ρ = 0.349). Conclusions The Turkish PCS-5 demonstrated good internal consistency, moderate test–retest reliability, and a clear one-factor structure in individuals with CMSP. Although the TSK-6 demonstrated moderate reliability, item 6 showed poor psychometric performance and warrants further investigation. The findings from the exploratory analysis of the five-item version should be interpreted cautiously and do not support replacing the standardized TSK-6 without further evidence.