Fatigue in mothers of infants and young children: factor structure of the fatigue assessment scale

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.