title: Task-related increases in fatigue predict recovery time after academic stress.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to investigate the time course of recovery after an academic exam as a model of high workload and its association with stress-related fatigue.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-six medical students (17 females, 19 males) filled out diaries during an exam phase, starting 2 days prior to the exam, and a control phase 4 weeks after the exam for 14 days, respectively. Fatigue, distress, quality of sleep, and health complaints were assessed. Recovery time was determined for each individual and variable by comparing the 3-day average with the confidence interval of the control phase. Recovery time was predicted by Cox regression analyses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Recovery times of all variables except health complaints were predicted by stress-related fatigue. Half of the individuals had recovered after 6 days, and 80% of the individuals had recovered after 8 days.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The time necessary for recovery from work demands is determined by fatigue as a measure of resource depletion.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Health, Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna.
authors.forename: Gerhard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Blasche
authors.forename: Jelena
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zilic
authors.forename: Oskar
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Frischenschlager
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004501:Education, Medical; D005221:Fatigue / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications*; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D016526:Workload / Q000523:psychology*