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Abstract
Background: Fatigue is a common experience among mothers of young children, yet there are few well validated tools to assess fatigue in mothers. Purpose: The aim of this paper was to examine the suitability, construct validity, and reliability of the Fatigue Assessment Scale (FAS). Method: Participants were 779 mothers of young children (aged 0–5 years) living in Australia who participated in an online survey about parent health and wellbeing. Results: Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that both one- and two-factor models representing physical and cognitive aspects of fatigue, with modifications, were an adequate fit to the data. Modified versions demonstrated high internal consistency. Measurement invariance was also established across mothers in the postnatal period and mothers of older children. Conclusions: The utility of the FAS in assessing maternal fatigue is discussed, along with implications for clinical use and future research.
Acknowledgements
The Parenting Research Centre acknowledges the support of the Victorian Government. We also thank Janine Ward for the contribution she made to data collection and management.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Rebecca Giallo
Rebecca Giallo, Ph.D., is a Research Fellow and Psychologist with the Healthy Mothers Healthy Families Research Group at Murdoch Childrens Research Institute.
Catherine Wade
Catherine Wade, Ph.D., M.Psych., Grad.Dip.App.Ch.Psych., B.B.Sc., is currently working as a Senior Manager with the Parenting Research Centre, Australia, and is a Research Affiliate with the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Sydney, Australia.
Mandy Kienhuis
Mandy Kienhuis, Ph.D., is a Clinical Psychologist and Psychology Lecturer within the School of Health Sciences at RMIT University, Melbourne.