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Psicothema was founded in Asturias (northern Spain) in 1989, and is published jointly by the Psychology Faculty of the University of Oviedo and the Psychological Association of the Principality of Asturias (Colegio Oficial de Psicólogos del Principado de Asturias).
We currently publish four issues per year, which accounts for some 100 articles annually. We admit work from both the basic and applied research fields, and from all areas of Psychology, all manuscripts being anonymously reviewed prior to publication.

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The mediating role of emotional symptomatology between anticipatory fatigue and the perception of fatigue

Juan Francisco Rodríguez Testal1, Sandra Fuentes Márquez2, Cristina Senín Calderón3 and Miguel Ángel Carrasco4

1 Universidad de Sevilla,
2 Hospital Juan Ramón Jiménez (Huelva),
3 Universidad de Cádiz and
4 Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED

Background: Clinical research stresses the importance of cognitive variables for predisposition, onset, and especially, perpetuation of perceived fatigue. The aim was to analyze the mediating effects of emotional symptomatology (somatic, depressive and anxiety) between anticipatory fatigue and perception of physical and cognitive fatigue. Methods: The sample was composed of 317 participants (29% from a clinical population) aged 18 to 76. Anticipatory fatigue and perception of fatigue were measured by fatigue scales. Emotional symptoms were assessed by the General Health Questionnaire, GHQ-28.  Results: Depressive symptomatology mediated the relationship between anticipatory fatigue and cognitive fatigue in both groups, and also somatic symptoms/somatization in patients. The indirect effect of physical fatigue was observed only in the clinical group, with depressive symptoms partially mediating the anticipatory fatigue and cognitive fatigue relationship. Conclusions: Anticipatory fatigue has a partial indirect effect on total physical fatigue, and full indirect effect on cognitive fatigue, mediated by depressive and somatic symptoms. Anticipatory fatigue is a relevant cognitive factor in the design of psychological intervention for improvement of cognitive and physical fatigue.

El papel mediador de la sintomatología emocional entre la fatiga anticipatoria y la percepción de la fatiga. Antecedentes: la investigación clínica resalta la importancia de variables cognitivas en la predisposición, inicio y mantenimiento de la fatiga percibida. Se analizan los efectos de mediación de la sintomatología emocional entre la fatiga anticipatoria y la percepción de la fatiga física y cognitiva. Métodos: la muestra se compone de 317 participantes (29% de población clínica) de 18 a 76 años. La fatiga anticipatoria y la percepción de la fatiga se midieron a través de escalas de fatiga y los síntomas emocionales a través del Cuestionario GHQ-28. Resultados: la sintomatología depresiva media la relación entre fatiga anticipatoria y la fatiga cognitiva en ambos grupos, y también para el grupo de pacientes cuando además los síntomas son somáticos. En el caso de la fatiga física, el efecto indirecto se da solo para el grupo clínico, siendo la sintomatología depresiva la variable que media parcialmente la relación. Conclusiones: la fatiga anticipatoria tiene un efecto indirecto parcial sobre la fatiga física e indirecto total sobre la fatiga cognitiva, mediado por los síntomas depresivos y somáticos. Este factor cognitivo es relevante en el diseño de la intervención psicológica para la disminución de la fatiga cognitiva y física.

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