Fatigue, Participation and Quality of Life in Adolescents and Young Adults with Acquired Brain Injury in an Outpatient Rehabilitation Cohort

Frederike van Markus-Doornbosch; Menno van der Holst; Arend J de Kloet; Thea P M Vliet Vlieland; Jorit J L Meesters

doi:10.1080/17518423.2019.1692948

Fatigue, Participation and Quality of Life in Adolescents and Young Adults with Acquired Brain Injury in an Outpatient Rehabilitation Cohort

Dev Neurorehabil. 2020 Jul;23(5):328-335. doi: 10.1080/17518423.2019.1692948. Epub 2019 Nov 20.

Authors

Frederike van Markus-Doornbosch^{1

2}, Menno van der Holst^{1

2}, Arend J de Kloet^{1

3}, Thea P M Vliet Vlieland^{1

2}, Jorit J L Meesters^{1

2

3}

Affiliations

¹ Basalt Rehabilitation , The Hague, The Netherlands.
² Leiden University Medical Center , Leiden, The Netherlands.
³ The Hague University of Applied Sciences , The Hague, The Netherlands.

PMID: 31746261
DOI: 10.1080/17518423.2019.1692948

Abstract

Purpose: To study the association between fatigue and participation and QoL after acquired brain injury (ABI) in adolescents and young adults (AYAs).

Materials & methods: Cross-sectional study with AYAs aged 14-25 years, diagnosed with ABI. The PedsQL™ Multidimensional Fatigue Scale, Child & Adolescent Scale of Participation, and PedsQL™4.0 Generic Core Scales were administered.

Results: Sixty-four AYAs participated in the study, 47 with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Median age at admission was 17.6 yrs, 0.8 yrs since injury. High levels of fatigue (median 44.4 (IQR 34.7, 59.7)), limited participation (median 82.5 (IQR 68.8, 92.3)), and diminished QoL (median 63.0 (IQR 47.8, 78.3)) were reported. More fatigue was significantly associated with more participation restrictions (β 0.64, 95%CI 0.44, 0.85) and diminished QoL (β 0.87, 95%CI 0.72, 1.02).

Conclusions: AYAs with ABI reported high levels of fatigue, limited participation and diminished quality of life with a significant association between fatigue and both participation and QoL. Targeting fatigue in rehabilitation treatment could potentially improve participation and QoL.

Keywords: Fatigue; acquired brain injury; adolescents and young adults; participation; quality of life.

Publication types

Multicenter Study

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Brain Injuries, Traumatic / psychology*
Brain Injuries, Traumatic / rehabilitation*
Child
Child, Preschool
Cohort Studies
Fatigue / etiology*
Female
Humans
Longitudinal Studies
Male
Neuropsychological Tests
Outpatients
Prospective Studies
Quality of Life*
Social Behavior
Treatment Outcome