Escala de avaliação da fadiga: evidências de validade e análise de correlatos

Abstract

Introduction: Fatigue is a multidimensional phenomenon that negatively affects occupational performance, mental health, and quality of life, and is particularly relevant among healthcare professionals. Valid and reliable instruments are essential for screening and for guiding occupational health interventions. Objective: To examine validity evidence for the Fatigue Assessment Scale (EAF) and to investigate the main correlates of fatigue in a national sample of physicians. Method: We conducted a correlational, ex post facto study with a national sample of 7,170 physicians recruited from the Federal Council of Medicine registry. Participants completed the EAF, the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), and a questionnaire assessing sociodemographic, occupational, and clinical variables. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, measurement invariance testing, Spearman’s correlations, Mann–Whitney U tests, and hierarchical linear regression were performed. Results and Discussion: Results supported the EAF’s unidimensional structure, with excellent internal consistency (α = 0.91; ω = 0.84). Confirmatory factor analysis supported the model, with fit indices varying across regions; multigroup analyses provided evidence of configural, metric, scalar, and residual invariance across Brazil’s five regions, indicating measurement stability. Fatigue was associated with sociodemographic, occupational, clinical, and psychosocial variables. Psychological distress showed the strongest association (ρ = 0.61–0.68) and was the main predictor in the hierarchical regression model, explaining the largest share of variance. Final Considerations: The EAF showed robust psychometric properties for assessing fatigue among physicians in Brazil. Fatigue was multifactorial, with psychosocial determinants, particularly psychological distress, playing a central role, underscoring the need to integrate mental health promotion into workplace management and occupational health surveillance.