Kinesiophobia in stroke patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a cross-sectional study based on latent profile analysis

Background Exercise rehabilitation plays a critical role in promoting functional recovery after stroke. However, stroke patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) face additional challenges, including motor impairments, vascular lesions, and diabetic peripheral neuropathy, which may increase their susceptibility to kinesiophobia. Despite this, studies using latent profile analysis (LPA) to characterize kinesiophobia in this patient population remain limited. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and latent subtypes of kinesiophobia among stroke patients with T2DM and to identify factors associated with each subtype. Methods This cross-sectional study included 300 stroke patients with T2DM who were hospitalized in the Department of Neurology at a Grade 3 Class A hospital in Lianyungang City between August and December 2025. The Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia was used as the primary assessment tool, and LPA was performed to identify distinct kinesiophobia subtypes. Univariate analysis and multinomial logistic regression were conducted to examine associations between kinesiophobia subtypes and sociodemographic, clinical, and psychosocial characteristics. Results Three latent profiles of kinesiophobia were identified: a low-kinesiophobia group ( n = 124, 41.3%), a medium-kinesiophobia group ( n = 84, 28.0%), and a high-kinesiophobia group ( n = 92, 30.7%). Multinomial logistic regression demonstrated that comorbidities, history of falls, duration of diabetes, Exercise Self-Efficacy (SEE), social support, pain, and fatigue were significantly associated with kinesiophobia subtype membership (all p Conclusion Developing targeted interventions based on the subtype-specific features of kinesiophobia may help alleviate patients’ symptoms and promote their active participation in rehabilitation training. This is because three latent profiles of kinesiophobia were identified in stroke patients complicated with T2DM. In addition, the latent profiles exhibited differences in sociodemographic and clinical characteristics.