Factors affecting the Fatigue of Hospitalized Women Cancer Patients Receiving Chemotherapy

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify factors that influence fatigue in hospitalized women cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. METHODS: The participants were 117 women cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. The instruments used in this study were physical symptoms, mood state, family support, and fatigue scales for patients with cancer. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficients and multiple regression with the IBM SPSS 19.0 program. RESULTS: Fatigue showed significant correlation with physical symptoms such as side effects as well as sub-elements of mood status such as anxiety-depression, vitality, anger and family support. Fatigue-anticipating variables were found to be some sub-elements of mood state such as anxiety-depression (beta=.61, t=10.40, p<.001), digestion organ factor (beta=.78, t=2.54, p=.013) and pain/fatigue factor (beta=.86, t=0.43, p=.045). The total variance explained was 69.7%. CONCLUSION: These results showed that the factors affecting fatigue were physical symptoms, and the mood state of hospitalized women cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. The results of this study provided basic materials for a nursing intervention program to reduce fatigue.