The associations between fatigue and need for recovery with anxiety and depression

The relative associations between fatigue and need for recovery with anxiety, depression and combined anxiety-depression, were compared in a sample of 400 students at an Australian university. Analyses were performed at total score and factor structure levels. Results showed that fatigue had a stronger association with anxiety and depression than did need for recovery. Despite some overlap between one factor from the fatigue scale with both factors from the need for recovery scale, overall data suggested that these scales (and the constructs they measured) were relatively discrete and refer to different aspects of the individual's experience of fatigue. Implications for assessment and intervention in clinical and health psychology settings are discussed.