The Development of the Experiential Impact of Mental Fatigue Scale
Abstract
Measures of mental fatigue often do not consider daily life experiences, and existing measures fail to distinguish among various, potentially dissociable, ways that mental fatigue manifests. The present studies assessed the validity of the newly created Experiential Impact of Mental Fatigue Scale (EIMFS). Participants (Study 1, n = 365; Study 2, n = 243) responded to 85 items that address the various forms of mental fatigue across different situational contexts. The final scale, analysed through both exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, included 22 items that loaded differentially on four factors which I term: emotional consequences, daily life impact, cognitive difficulties, and motivation and engagement. Each of the four subfactors as well as the scale overall had acceptable reliability and demonstrated construct and criterion validity with ancillary measures. Future research should administer the EIMFS in various neuropsychological populations to explore the relationship between mental fatigue and other symptoms experienced by these groups.