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Validation of the Turkish version of the fatigue severity scale in patients with fibromyalgia

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Abstract

The aim of the study was to investigate the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the fatigue severity scale (FSS) in fibromyalgia (FM) patients. Sixty-one FM patients and 54 healthy controls were evaluated using the Turkish version of the FSS. Reliability was investigated using test–retest reliability and internal consistency. Concurrent validity was evaluated between the FSS score and the VAS fatigue. Convergent validity was assessed by comparing the FSS score with the scores of VAS pain, Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ). Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient was used to evaluate validity. Test–retest reliability and internal consistency of the FSS were excellent in FM patients (ICC: 0.94, Cronbach’s alpha coefficient: 0.85) and in the healthy controls (ICC: 0.90, Cronbach’s alpha coefficient: 0.91). For the concurrent validity, the correlation between the FSS and VAS fatigue was very good in FM group (r: 0.63, P: 0.000) and in the healthy controls (r: 0.94, P: 0.000). For the convergent validity, correlations between the FSS and BDI, BAI, FIQ, pain intensity were moderate to good in both groups (P: 0.000). The Turkish version of the FSS has been proved to be valid and reliable to detect severity of fatigue in FM patients. We recommend the use of it in clinical practice.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Dr. Lauren B. Krupp for her permission to translate the FSS into Turkish. We also thank Ibrahim Can for his excellent translation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Fizik Tedavi Bölümü, Kahramanmaras Devlet Hastanesi, 46600, Kahramanmaras, Turkey

    Asli Gencay-Can

  2. Department of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, Kahramanmaras State Hospital, Kahramanmaras, Turkey

    Asli Gencay-Can

  3. Department of Psychiatry, Kahramanmaras State Hospital, Kahramanmaras, Turkey

    Serdar Suleyman Can

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  1. Asli Gencay-Can
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  2. Serdar Suleyman Can
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Correspondence to Asli Gencay-Can.

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Gencay-Can, A., Can, S.S. Validation of the Turkish version of the fatigue severity scale in patients with fibromyalgia. Rheumatol Int 32, 27–31 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00296-010-1558-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00296-010-1558-3

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