Fatigue varies by social class in African Americans but not Caucasian Americans.
Socioeconomic status explains many ethnic disparities in health; however, mechanisms are hard to identify. Fatigue-a frequent complaint in patients and normals-is associated with poorer quality of life. We wondered if ethnicity and social class interact to explain fatigue. A total of 40 African Americans (AAs) and 64 Caucasian Americans (CAs) completed short forms of the Profile of Mood States (POMS-SF) and Multidimensional Fatigue Symptom Inventory (MFSI-SF). Participants were divided into high-middle and low social class groups (as per Hollingshead, 1958a). After controlling for gender, body mass index, depressive symptoms, and response bias, ethnicity and social class interacted for POMS-SF fatigue. AAs in the high-middle classes reported more fatigue than AAs in the low classes and CAs in the high-middle classes. Fatigue did not differ by class for CAs nor by ethnicity in the lower classes. Similar findings emerged for MFSI-SF general fatigue. Social class is important for understanding fatigue in AAs but not CAs.
Bardwell
Wayne A
WA
University of California, San Diego Psychiatry and University of California, San Diego, California, USA. wabardwell@ucsd.edu
Burke
Stephen C
SC
Thomas
KaMala S
KS
Carter
Christian
C
Weingart
Kimberly
K
Dimsdale
Joel E
JE
D000328:Adult; D044383:Black People / Q000523:psychology*; D005221:Fatigue / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010555:Personality Inventory; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology; D012923:Social Class; D044465:White People / Q000523:psychology*; D001741:Black or African American