Kinesiophobia and Fear Avoidance in Older Adults: A Scoping Review on the State of Research Activity

A scoping review was performed to examine the extent and nature of research activity on kinesiophobia and fear avoidance in older adults and summarize research findings. Four databases were searched from January 2006 to May 2021. Eleven papers were selected for inclusion, with a predominance of cross-sectional design (54.5%; n = 6). Most of the studies were associated with chronic pain (n = 9; 81.8%). Higher levels of kinesiophobia were found among frailer and older people, predominantly living in care homes. Kinesiophobia and fear avoidance have been related to other constructs of the fear avoidance model, and the conclusions partially support the assumptions derived from it in older adults. Nevertheless, kinesiophobia proved to be a more dominant factor in determining the level of physical activity than pain in this population. None of the studies aimed to test the effectiveness of interventions directly targeting kinesiophobia or fear avoidance.