Objective To analyze the current status of postoperative pain, kinesophobia and negative information attention bias in patients with osteoporotic thoracolumbar compression fracture (OVCF), and explore the mediating effect of negative information attention bias between postoperative pain and kinesophobia.

Methods A cross-sectional study design was adopted, and 115 patients with OVCF were selected for the study. The postoperative pain of patients was evaluated by using the Digital Pain Rating Scale (NRS). The Chinese version of the Negative Information Attention Scale assessed the level of negative information attention bias of patients. The level of kinesophobia of patients were assessed using Tampa scale. Pearson analysis was used to analyze the correlations among the postoperative pain, kinesophobia and negative information attention bias in patients with OVCF, and the mediating effect test was conducted by constructing a structural equation model (SEM).

Results The kinesophobia score of patients after OVCF was (40.28 ± 12.80) points, the negative information attention bias score was (38.86 ± 6.95) points, and the pain score was (3.25 ± 1.06) points. There was a positive correlation between pain and kinesophobia in patients after OVCF (r = 0.192, P ＜ 0.05), attention bias of negative information (r = 0.339, P ＜ 0.01). There was a positive correlation between negative information attention bias and kinesophobia (r = 0.231, P ＜ 0.05). The mediating effect value of negative information attention bias between pain and kineshobia was 28.95%.

Conclusions The mediating effect of negative information attention bias between postoperative pain and kinesophobia in patients with OVCF exists, confirming that postoperative pain can indirectly affect the development of kinesophobia through the partial mediating effect of negative information attention bias.