Examining the Relationship Between Kinesiophobia, Patient Mobility, and Activities of Daily Living in Patients with Chest Tubes After Thoracic Surgery: A Relational Study with Multiple Linear Regression Analyses

Background: Kinesiophobia, or the fear of movement due to anticipated pain or injury, is a significant psychological barrier that interferes with activities of daily living for many patients who have undergone thoracic surgery and had a chest tube placed.

Aim: This study aimed to examine the relationship between kinesiophobia, mobility, and activities of daily living in patients with chest tubes following thoracic surgery.

Methods: This study used a descriptive, correlational design. The research sample consisted of 110 patients with a chest tube following thoracic surgery. A patient identification form, the Katz Activities of Daily Living Scale (Katz ADL), the Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia (TSK), and the Patient Mobility Scale (PMS) were used for data collection. Percentage distribution, arithmetic mean, multiple linear regression, and correlation analyses were used for data analysis.

Results: The study found that most patients (82.7%) were married, the majority were male (80.9%), and were unemployed (30.9%). In the study, the average total score of the Katz ADL was 13.30±2.33, the TSK score was 60.58±15.19, and the PMS score was 84.32±29.51. The study revealed that PMS and TSK were statistically significant predictors of Katz ADL (p<0.001). It was also shown that the total Katz ADL score showed a negative association with both PMS and TSK at a high level of statistical significance (p<0.01).

Conclusion: This study showed that patients who had a chest tube inserted after surgery experienced a negative impact on performing activities of daily living due to kinesiophobia and difficulty moving.

Keywords: Activities of daily living, chest tube, kinesiophobia, nursing, thoracic surgery