Research Article

The moderating role of personal mastery on the relationship between caregiving status and multiple dimensions of fatigue

  1. Susan K Roepke1,2,
  2. Brent T Mausbach2,
  3. Roland von Känel2,3,
  4. Sonia Ancoli-Israel2,4,
  5. Alexandrea L Harmell2,
  6. Joel E Dimsdale2,
  7. Kirstin Aschbacher1,2,
  8. Paul J Mills2,
  9. Thomas L Patterson2,4,
  10. Igor Grant2,4,*

Article first published online: 22 JUN 2009

DOI: 10.1002/gps.2286

Issue

International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry

International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry

Volume 24, Issue 12, pages 1453–1462, December 2009

Additional Information

How to Cite

Roepke, S. K., Mausbach, B. T., von Känel, R., Ancoli-Israel, S., Harmell, A. L., Dimsdale, J. E., Aschbacher, K., Mills, P. J., Patterson, T. L. and Grant, I. (2009), The moderating role of personal mastery on the relationship between caregiving status and multiple dimensions of fatigue. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 24: 1453–1462. doi: 10.1002/gps.2286

Author Information

  1. 1

    Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology, San Diego State University/University of California, San Diego, USA

  2. 2

    Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, USA

  3. 3

    Department of General Internal Medicine, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, and University of Bern, Switzerland

  4. 4

    San Diego Veterans Affairs Healthcare System, La Jolla, California, USA

*Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine; University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive; La Jolla, California, 92093-0680.

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 13 NOV 2009
  2. Article first published online: 22 JUN 2009
  3. Manuscript Accepted: 2 MAR 2009
  4. Manuscript Received: 2 SEP 2008

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Keywords:

  • Alzheimer's disease;
  • caregiving;
  • fatigue;
  • control;
  • coping;
  • exhaustion

Abstract

Objective

A substantial proportion of chronically-stressed spousal dementia caregivers report fatigue. The objective of this study was to examine whether personal mastery moderates the relationship between caregiving status (caregiver/non-caregiver) and multiple dimensions of fatigue.

Methods

Seventy-three elderly Alzheimer's caregivers and 41 elderly non-caregivers completed the Multidimensional Fatigue Symptom Inventory-Short Form (MFSI-SF) and questionnaires assessing mastery.

Results

Regression analyses indicated that global fatigue was significantly higher for caregivers (M = 38.0 ± 21.0) compared to non-caregivers (M = 18.2 ± 10.4). However, personal mastery moderated the relation between caregiving status and global fatigue (t = −2.03, df = 107, p = 0.045), such that for those with low mastery, caregivers' fatigue scores were 18.1 points higher than non-caregivers, and for those with high mastery, this difference was only 7.5 points. For specific dimensions of fatigue, mastery moderated the relations between caregiving status and both emotional (t = −2.01, df = 107, p = 0.047) and physical (t = −2.51, df = 107, p = 0.014) fatigue. Specifically, association between caregiving status and emotional fatigue was greater when mastery was low than when mastery was high. Caregiving status was significantly associated with physical fatigue when mastery was low, but not when mastery was high. Significant main effects were found between mastery and general fatigue and vigor.

Conclusion

Given the proportion of fatigued caregivers and the impact fatigue has on health; these findings provide important information regarding mastery's relationship with fatigue and may inform interventions aiming to alleviate fatigue in caregivers. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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