Shao-Yu Tsai1, Shiow-Ching Shun2, Yeur-Hur Lai3, Ya-Ling Lee4, Shih-Yu Lee5. 1. Department of Nursing, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan. Electronic address: stsai@ntu.edu.tw. 2. Department of Nursing, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan. Electronic address: scshun@ntu.edu.tw. 3. Department of Nursing, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan. Electronic address: laiyhwk@ntu.edu.tw. 4. Department of Nursing, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan. Electronic address: yallee@ntu.edu.tw. 5. Byrdine F. Lewis School of Nursing, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA. Electronic address: slee29@gsu.edu.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Fatigue is among the most prevalent and distressing symptoms in pregnant and postpartum women. Estimating fatigue severity with a psychometrically sound instrument provides the most fundamental information for understanding women's fatigue experience and assessing the need for intervention to improve maternal and infant health outcomes. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the psychometric properties of a Chinese version of the 7-item Lee Fatigue Scale-Short Form (C-LFS-SF) in pregnant and postpartum women. METHODS: The study was composed of two phases: translation of the scale into Chinese and examination of content validity, and testing to establish the reliability and validity. A convenience sample of 124 women completed health-related questionnaires, kept a fatigue diary and wore a wrist actigraph for 7 days during the third trimester of pregnancy and within three months postpartum. RESULTS: The C-LFS-SF showed satisfactory internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha≥.97) and stability over the 7 days at each time point (intraclass correlation coefficient>.87). Exploratory factor analysis showed that 88-94% of the total variance was explained by the one-factor fatigue model. Significant associations among the C-LFS-SF and actigraphic sleep quantity and quality variables supported adequate construct validity. CONCLUSIONS: The C-LFS-SF has satisfactory psychometric properties and is an easy and promising tool for assessing maternal fatigue during routine prenatal and postpartum care. This scale needs to be further tested in a more diverse population of pregnant and postpartum women, like women with high risk pregnancies or with medical conditions.
BACKGROUND:Fatigue is among the most prevalent and distressing symptoms in pregnant and postpartum women. Estimating fatigue severity with a psychometrically sound instrument provides the most fundamental information for understanding women's fatigue experience and assessing the need for intervention to improve maternal and infant health outcomes. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the psychometric properties of a Chinese version of the 7-item Lee Fatigue Scale-Short Form (C-LFS-SF) in pregnant and postpartum women. METHODS: The study was composed of two phases: translation of the scale into Chinese and examination of content validity, and testing to establish the reliability and validity. A convenience sample of 124 women completed health-related questionnaires, kept a fatigue diary and wore a wrist actigraph for 7 days during the third trimester of pregnancy and within three months postpartum. RESULTS: The C-LFS-SF showed satisfactory internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha≥.97) and stability over the 7 days at each time point (intraclass correlation coefficient>.87). Exploratory factor analysis showed that 88-94% of the total variance was explained by the one-factor fatigue model. Significant associations among the C-LFS-SF and actigraphic sleep quantity and quality variables supported adequate construct validity. CONCLUSIONS: The C-LFS-SF has satisfactory psychometric properties and is an easy and promising tool for assessing maternal fatigue during routine prenatal and postpartum care. This scale needs to be further tested in a more diverse population of pregnant and postpartum women, like women with high risk pregnancies or with medical conditions.
Authors: Antonio Oliver-Roig; Julio Cabrero-García; Miguel Richart-Martínez; Antoni Cano-Climent; Jolanda de Vries Journal: PeerJ Date: 2017-09-27 Impact factor: 2.984