Factors Influencing Fatigue in Elderly People with Chronic Pain / 정신간호학회지

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: This study was done to examine fatigue in elderly people with chronic pain and identify factors influencing fatigue. METHODS: Participants in the study were 296 elders suffering from pain for more than 6 months. The data were collected by personal interviews using questionnaires and were analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficients, t-test, ANOVA, and stepwise multiple regression with SPSS/WIN 15.0 version. RESULTS: The mean score for fatigue was 30.5, and fatigue showed a significant positive correlation with depression (r=.57, p<.001), perceived stress (r=.12, p=.035) and pain disability (r=.52, p<.001), but a negative correlation with social support (r=-.21, p<.001) and ADL (r=-.22, p<.001). Depression was found to be a significant predictor of fatigue. CONCLUSION: The results of this study show that psychological factors like depression have more influence on fatigue in elders than physical activities or daily capability. Therefore, it is important to consider psychological factors which influence fatigue as well as the fatigue itself in order to efficiently control fatigue.