Kinesiophobia in Parents of Children with Haemophilia

OBJECTIVE: To compare kinesiophobia levels between parents of haemophilic patients and parents of healthy children, and to investigate the factors associated with kinesiophobia in parents of haemophilic patients. STUDY DESIGN: A cross-sectional descriptive study. Place and Duration of the Study: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Bursa City Hospital, Bursa, Turkiye, between December 2023 and June 2024. METHODOLOGY: Thirty mothers of children with haemophilia (MCwH) and thirty mothers of healthy children (MHC) were evaluated using the Visual Analogue Scale for pain, the Short Form-36 for quality of life, the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) for depression level, and the Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia (TSK). TSK scores between the two groups were compared using the Mann-Whitney U test. The correlations between TSK scores and the study variables were examined using Spearman's rank correlation coefficient. RESULTS: No significant differences were found between the MCwH and MHC groups in terms of age, BMI, and educational status (p >0.05). The median TSK scores were 44.0 (33.3-46.0) in the MCwH group and 40.5 (36.0-44.0) in the MHC control group. There was no significant difference in TSK scores between the groups (p >0.05). CONCLUSION: The risk of bleeding in people with haemophilia, the pain secondary to bleeding, and the risk of sustaining an injury contribute to increased levels of kinesiophobia, not only in individuals with haemophilia but also in their parents. Physicians should focus on parents' kinesiophobia when evaluating patients with haemophilia and inform parents about its importance and available treatment strategies. KEY WORDS: Fear of movement, Haemophilia, Kinesiophobia, Emotion regulation.