Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42401965›Full record

ArticleBMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation2026

Cross-cultural translation, adaptation, and validation of the Chinese versions of the athlete fear avoidance questionnaire and fear of return to sport scale.

Siqi Liu, Young-Eun Noh, Almir Vieira Dibai-Filho, André Pontes-Silva, Tong Zhou, Yunxi Zhang

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Siqi LiuSchool of Physical Education, Neijiang Normal University, Neijiang City, Sichuan Province, 641100, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0001-0288-9785
Young-Eun NohFaculty of Sports and Exercise Science, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, 50603, Malaysia. youngeun@um.edu.my.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6266-8554
Almir Vieira Dibai-FilhoPostgraduate Program in Physical Education, Federal University of Maranhão, São Luis, MA, Brazil.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5403-8248
André Pontes-SilvaPostgraduate Program in Physical Education, Federal University of Maranhão, São Luis, MA, Brazil.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3983-5342
Tong ZhouDepartment of Physical Education, Wuhan Sports University, Wuhan, 430079, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4459-7553
Yunxi ZhangFaculty of Sports and Exercise Science, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, 50603, Malaysia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0001-0939-7521

Funding

the Chinese Martial Arts Institute, Chengdu Sport University 26GSB03
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundSports injuries not only impose periods of physical rest, but they can also provoke negative psychological responses, particularly fear, that can delay return to sport (RTS) and elevate reinjury risk. Although various instruments, including the Athlete Fear Avoidance Questionnaire (AFAQ) and the Fear of Return to Sport Scale (FRESS), are available to assess such fear-related factors, validated Simplified-Chinese versions have not yet been developed.

methodsThis study conducted a systematic cross-cultural translation and psychometric validation of the AFAQ and the FRESS into Chinese (AFAQ-Ch and FRESS-Ch), following established international guidelines. Phase 1, which involved 30 athletes who had sustained an injury within the previous year (age: M = 20.6, SD = 2.4), comprised forward-backward translation, an expert panel review, and a face validity evaluation. Phase 2 assessed internal consistency, test-retest reliability, structural validity, and convergent validity among a larger sample of 204 Chinese injured athletes (age: M = 21.4, SD = 3.2), using the Simplified-Chinese Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia (SC-TSK) and the Injury-Psychological Readiness to Return to Sport Scale (I-PRRS-Ch) as theoretically related comparison instruments.

resultsBoth the AFAQ-Ch and the FRESS-Ch demonstrated acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.748 and 0.736, respectively) and acceptable test-retest reliability. The AFAQ-Ch showed good test-retest reliability, with an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of 0.855 (95% CI [0.790, 0.900], F[96, 96] = 12.759, p < .001), whereas the FRESS-Ch demonstrated moderate test-retest reliability, with an ICC of 0.729 (95% CI [0.620, 0.810], F[96, 96] = 6.372, p < .001). Confirmatory factor analysis supported the structural validity of the AFAQ-Ch and FRESS-Ch, with acceptable model fit for the AFAQ-Ch and generally acceptable fit for the FRESS-Ch. Evidence of convergent validity was demonstrated through significant correlations. A significant moderate positive correlation was observed between the AFAQ-Ch and the FRESS-Ch (r = .484, p < .001).

conclusionsThese findings indicate that the AFAQ-Ch and the FRESS-Ch can be reliably used in clinical and research settings to assess fear among Chinese-speaking athletes following injury.

Indexed as

Fear avoidanceInjury recoveryPsychological readinessReturn to sportScale validationSports injury rehabilitation

Identifiers

PMID42401965
PMCPMC13621716

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.