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Cross-Cultural Validation of the Korean Version of the Chalder Fatigue Scale

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Abstract

Purpose

University students are vulnerable to fatigue. If not adequately dealt with, fatigue might develop into various health problems and negatively affect quality of life (QOL). The present study examined psychometric properties of the Korean version of the Chalder Fatigue Scale (K-CFQ) in university students.

Method

Data were obtained from two samples of undergraduate students in Korea. The first dataset (N = 557) was collected in a cross-sectional survey in 2015 and the second dataset (N = 338) from a longitudinal survey with three time points over a semester period in 2016. Participants completed measures of fatigue, QOL, depression, anxiety, and sleep quality.

Results

Three-factor model (physical fatigue, low energy, and mental fatigue) rather than the original two-factor model (physical and mental fatigue) provided a better goodness of fit indices to the data. Internal consistency of the K-CFQ was satisfactory, with Cronbach’s α value of 0.88 for the total scale and those of subscales ranging from 0.73 to 0.87. Its convergent validity was supported by its significant association with anxiety, depression, sleep quality, and QOL. Significant association between T1 K-CFQ with physical QOL at T2 and T3 supported its predictive validity. Its known-group validity was proven with higher K-CFQ scores observed in the participants with depression and those with poor sleep quality.

Conclusions

Current results suggest that K-CFQ is a valid and reliable measure of fatigue, and a better model fit of the three-factor structure of the K-CFQ implies potential cross-cultural differences in the dimensionality of fatigue.

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Funding

This study was supported by a 2-year research grant of Pusan National University and by the Brain Korea 21 Plus program (F17HR31D1802), National Research Foundation of Korea.

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Author notes

  1. Hyeju Ha and Donghee Jeong contributed equally to this work. Bong-Jin Hahm and Eun-Jung Shim are co-corresponding authors.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Pusan National University, 2, Busandaehak-ro 63 beon-gil, Geumjeong-gu, Busan, 46241, South Korea

    Hyeju Ha, Donghee Jeong & Eun-Jung Shim

  2. Department of Neuropsychiatry, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, South Korea

    Bong-Jin Hahm

  3. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea

    Bong-Jin Hahm

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  1. Hyeju Ha
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  2. Donghee Jeong
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  4. Eun-Jung Shim
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Bong-Jin Hahm or Eun-Jung Shim.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. The study was approved by the Pusan National University Hospital Institutional Review Board.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Ha, H., Jeong, D., Hahm, BJ. et al. Cross-Cultural Validation of the Korean Version of the Chalder Fatigue Scale. Int.J. Behav. Med. 25, 351–361 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12529-017-9701-0

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