Fatigue Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Fatigue, including details on chronic fatigue syndrome, exhaustion, causes, diagnosis. | |||||||
|
Measuring fatigue in persons with spinal cord injury.Anton HA, Miller WC, Townson AF Division of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada. hanton@pacificrehab.net OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the psychometric properties of the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) in persons with spinal cord injury (SCI). DESIGN: A 2-week methodologic study was conducted to assess the internal consistency, reliability, and construct validity of the FSS. SETTING: A tertiary spinal cord rehabilitation facility. PARTICIPANTS: Forty-eight community-living subjects at least 1 year post-SCI with American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) grade A or B SCI and no medical conditions causing fatigue. The sample was predominantly male (n=31 [65%]) with tetraplegia (n=26 [54%]) and ASIA grade A injuries (n=30 [63%]). The average duration since injury was 14.9 years. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The ASIA Impairment Scale, the FSS, a visual analog scale for fatigue (VAS-F), the vitality scale of the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36), and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). RESULTS: Mean FSS score +/- standard deviation at baseline was 4.4+/-1.4, with 54% (n=26) scoring greater than 4. The internal consistency of the FSS was excellent (Cronbach alpha=.89). Two-week test-retest reliability was adequate (intraclass correlation coefficient, .84; 95% confidence interval, .74-.90). The magnitude of the relationship was as hypothesized for the VAS-F (r=.67) and CES-D (r=.58) and lower than hypothesized for the vitality subscore (r=-.48) of the SF-36. CONCLUSIONS: The FSS has acceptable reliability with regard to internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and validity in persons with motor complete SCI. Published 25 February 2008 in Arch Phys Med Rehabil, 89(3): 538-42.
© 2005-2008 Fatigue Research Today. All Rights Reserved. |
| |||||
