Fatigue among working people: validity of a questionnaire measure

TLDR

The 20‑item Checklist Individual Strength questionnaire is widely used in chronic fatigue patients, but its validity in occupational groups has not been studied. This study evaluates the validity of the CIS in the working population. CIS discriminant validity was assessed by having five employee groups with expected fatigue differences complete the questionnaire, and convergent validity was examined by comparing CIS scores to unidimensional fatigue, burnout, and need‑for‑recovery measures. The CIS discriminated fatigued from non‑fatigued employees and showed expected agreement with related measures, supporting its suitability for measuring fatigue in workers.

Abstract

OBJECTIVES To evaluate the validity of the checklist individual strength questionnaire (CIS) in the working population. This 20 item self reported questionnaire has often been used in patients with chronic fatigue. To date, no research has focused on the validity of the CIS in occupational groups. METHODS To evaluate the discriminant validity the CIS was filled out by five groups of employees with expected differences in fatigue. The convergent validity was evaluated by comparing the results of the CIS with the results of three related measures: measured unidimensional fatigue, burnout, and need for recovery. RESULTS The CIS was able to discriminate between fatigued and non-fatigued employees in occupational groups. The expected agreement between the results of the CIS and related measures was confirmed. CONCLUSIONS The CIS seems to be an appropriate instrument for measuring fatigue in the working population.