Assessing fatigue after traumatic brain injury: An evaluation of the Barroso Fatigue Scale

Objective: To assess the suitability of the Barroso Fatigue Scale (BFS) for assessment of posttraumatic brain injury (Post-TBI) fatigue. Design: Analysis of self-report data. Setting: Community. Participants: 183 individuals with TBI in California, and 233 individuals with TBI and a comparison group of 85 persons without brain injury in New York. Interventions: None. Results: Both individuals with TBI and comparison participants reported high levels of fatigue on the Fatigue Severity Scale and the Fatigue Assessment Instrument, which can be scored from the BFS. Factor analysis of 40 BFS items resulted in 5 factors; because factors appeared to be based on both substantive issues and the format and location of the items, a BFS scoring algorithm was not pursued. The other 16 BFS items provided useful information in understanding post-TBI fatigue. Conclusions: The BFS in its current format is not recommended for assessing fatigue as a multidimensional entity after TBI. It may have utility for the 3 widely known fatigue measures that can be derived from it, and it generates information on the circumstances of fatigue.