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The PedsQL™ Multidimensional Fatigue Scale in young adults: feasibility, reliability and validity in a University student population

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Abstract

Background and objective

The PedsQL™ (Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory™) is a modular instrument designed to measure health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and disease-specific symptoms in children and adolescents ages 2–18. The PedsQL™ Multidimensional Fatigue Scale was designed as a generic symptom-specific instrument to measure fatigue in pediatric patients ages 2–18. Since a sizeable number of pediatric patients prefer to remain with their pediatric providers after age 18, the objective of the present study was to determine the feasibility, reliability, and validity of the PedsQL™ Multidimensional Fatigue Scale in young adults.

Method

The 18-item PedsQL™ Multidimensional Fatigue Scale (General Fatigue, Sleep/Rest Fatigue, and Cognitive Fatigue domains), the PedsQL™ 4.0 Generic Core Scales Young Adult Version, and the SF-8™ Health Survey were completed by 423 university students ages 18–25.

Results

The PedsQL™ Multidimensional Fatigue Scale evidenced minimal missing responses, achieved excellent reliability for the Total Scale Score (α = 0.90), distinguished between healthy young adults and young adults with chronic health conditions, was significantly correlated with the relevant PedsQL™ 4.0 Generic Core Scales and the SF-8™ standardized scores, and demonstrated a factor-derived structure largely consistent with the a priori conceptual model.

Conclusions

The results demonstrate the measurement properties of the PedsQL™ Multidimensional Fatigue Scale in a convenience sample of young adult university students. The findings suggest that the PedsQL™ Multidimensional Fatigue Scale may be utilized in the evaluation of fatigue for a broad age range.

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Acknowledgements

Funding: This research was supported by an intramural grant from the Texas A&M University Research Foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, Texas A&M University, 3137 TAMU, College Station, TX, 77843-3137, USA

    James W. Varni

  2. Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, College of Architecture, Texas A&M University, 3137 TAMU, College Station, TX, 77843-3137, USA

    James W. Varni

  3. Department of Psychology, College of Liberal Arts, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA

    Christine A. Limbers

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  1. James W. Varni
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Correspondence to James W. Varni.

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Competing Interests: Dr. Varni holds the copyright and the trademark for the PedsQL™ and receives financial compensation from the Mapi Research Trust, which is a nonprofit research institute that charges distribution fees to for-profit companies that use the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory™. The PedsQL™ is available at http://www.pedsql.org.

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Varni, J.W., Limbers, C.A. The PedsQL™ Multidimensional Fatigue Scale in young adults: feasibility, reliability and validity in a University student population. Qual Life Res 17, 105–114 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-007-9282-5

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