University of Twente Student Theses
Vermoeidheid: Een onderschat probleem dat met het ouder worden erger wordt? Een kwantitatieve studie naar het verschil van intensiteit van vermoeidheid in verschillende leeftijdsfasen bij mensen met RA
Eden, Rieke Lena (2014) Vermoeidheid: Een onderschat probleem dat met het ouder worden erger wordt? Een kwantitatieve studie naar het verschil van intensiteit van vermoeidheid in verschillende leeftijdsfasen bij mensen met RA.
|
PDF
849kB |
| Abstract: | Background information: Fatigue is often considered a symptom of sickness and differs from the all known tiredness. Exhaustion, lack of energy and tiredness are often associated with fatigue. The difference is that these symptoms are able to show up even without the occurrence of a tiring exercise, and will not reduce in intensity even after a period of rest. This fatigue constrains people in their everyday lives. Every person’s life can be split into different age phases. Each of these phases contain tasks such as working, taking care of their children and maintaining the household. Fatigue can influence the life during any of those phases and tasks. Research has shown that several factors, besides age, appear to contribute in the development of fatigue. A couple of these symptoms are pain, physical functioning, depression, disease activity and sex. The aim of this thesis was to investigate whether the intensity of fatigue differs between different age groups, and if the other factors (pain, physical functioning, depression and disease activity) are associated to the intensity of fatigue between the different stages in life. Method: In order to conduct this study, the research data of 412 RA patients (263 female, 149 male) of the DREAM remission induction cohort was used. The participants filled out the SF- 36 as well as the DAS28. The SF-36 measured the relevant factors for this study; fatigue, pain, depression and physical functioning. The disease activity was measured by the DAS28. The participants are divided in the following four age categories; 18-40 year (early adulthood), 41-60 year (middle adulthood), 61-70 year (early late- adulthood) and >70 year (late late- adulthood) old. In order to analyse the obtained and categorized data, a One-way ANOVA and a covariance analysis were applied. Results: There was no significant difference found in the intensity of fatigue between the four different age groups. There was however a difference when comparing the group of 61-70 year with the other three groups combined. This group proved to be less fatigued than the others. The results have shown that physical functioning, depression, gender, pain and disease activity, are not associated with the intensity of fatigue in the different age categories. Conclusion: In conclusion, the four different age groups do not differ in the fatigue that they experience. It must be noted however that the age group of 61-70 year olds reported less fatigue than the other age groups combined. This could be because people in that age group are retiring and have less tasks to perform. None of the investigated factors are in association to the experienced fatigue in different age groups. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Bachelor) |
| Faculty: | BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences |
| Subject: | 77 psychology |
| Programme: | Psychology BSc (56604) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/65647 |
| Export this item as: | BibTeX EndNote HTML Citation Reference Manager |
Show download statistics for this publication
Show download statistics for this publicationRepository Staff Only: item control page