2025/06/25 by Fatih Özden, Mehmet Özkeskin, Bennu Deniz Ezgin +4 · 1 citation
Health Professions · Medicine · #Balance, Gait, and Falls Prevention #Spinal Cord Injury Research #Stroke Rehabilitation and Recovery
paper · doi:10.1080/09593985.2025.2524464
openalex publication_date 2025/06/25 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30
Objective This study aimed to analyze the relationship between exercise barriers and benefits, kinesiophobia, balance confidence, fear of falling, and psychological status in individuals post-stroke.Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted with 102 participants, including 60 individuals post-stroke (mean duration since stroke: 32.09 ± 55.09 months) and 42 healthy controls. Disability levels were evaluated using the Modified Rankin Scale (mRS) by a clinical neurologist. The Exercise Benefits/Barriers Scale (EBBS), Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia (TSK), International Fall Efficacy Scale (FES-I), Activity-Specific Balance Confidence Scale (ABC), and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) were used to assess exercise perceptions, movement-related fear, balance confidence, and psychological status.Results Individuals post stroke showed significantly lower EBBS scores compared to controls (p < .05). Additionally, they had higher TSK and FES-I scores and lower ABC scores (p < .05). A positive correlation was observed between TSK and EBBS total, barriers, and benefits subscales (p < .001). Regression analysis indicated that EBBS scores were significantly associated with both TSK and mRS scores (p < .001), while HADS scores were not significant predictors.Conclusion Individuals post-stroke showed lower perceptions of exercise benefits/barriers and higher levels of kinesiophobia, fear of falling, and balance problems compared to healthy controls. Kinesiophobia was negatively correlated with exercise perceptions. Regression analysis indicated that TSK and mRS significantly affected EBBS scores, while depression and anxiety had no significant impact.