(PS6-A23) Does Hope Moderate the Relationship Between Persistent Fatigue Symptoms and Anxiety in College Students?

Fatigue is a common complaint reported by 30 to 50 percent of the global population. Most individuals have experienced mild infrequent fatigue related to inadequate amounts of sleep or stress, but for some persistent fatigue can become a burden to everyday life. Young adults are beginning to build lifestyle habits that can have great contributions to their health across the lifespan, thus it is particularly important to study chronic fatigue during this sensitive developmental stage. Despite the potential long-term consequences, research on fatigue in this population remains scarce. In addition, existing research shows that fatigue is associated with higher levels of anxiety among college students. Anxiety has overlapping features with fatigue, yet how the two are linked remains unexplained. It is possible that motivational attributes, such as hope, may moderate the relationship between anxiety and fatigue. Higher levels of hope are related to less anxiety in college students and lower fatigue in clinical populations, yet the relationships between these variables have not been examined in college students. This study aims to describe the presentation of fatigue symptoms in college students, examine the relationship between fatigue and anxiety symptoms, and assess whether hope moderates this relationship.

A total of 640 college students (Mage=19.9±3.42), were recruited as part of a larger study. Participants completed self-report measures online for class credit to assess fatigue (Fatigue Symptom Inventory), anxiety (General Anxiety Disorder-7), and hope (Adult Hope Scale). The mean fatigue score was 4.05 (SD=2.16), and 69.5% (n=445) of the sample scored above the validated cut-off suggesting the presence of significant symptoms. Almost half of the sample reported moderate to severe fatigue interference n= 311 (48.6%) and 73.9%(n=473) of the sample reported moderate fatigue duration. There were statistically significant differences between fatigue and gender using one-way ANOVA (F (5, 634)=4.64 p=.001). A Tukey post hoc test revealed that students who identified as gender non-conforming reported significantly greater fatigue than those who identify as female (p=.018), and students who identified as male (p< .001). The relationship between fatigue and anxiety was positive and significant (r=.465, p=.001). Moderation analysis found that hope moderated the relationship between fatigue and anxiety(p=.019). More specifically, the findings indicated that among college students with lower levels of hope, the relationship between fatigue and anxiety was more robust than those with higher levels of hope.

The current study found high levels of persistent fatigue, moderate/severe interference, and duration were prominent among college students. Fatigue symptoms were found to be significantly related to higher levels of anxiety and moderated by hope. This study contributes to the literature by identifying hope as a potential protective factor for fatigue and anxiety in college students. Future longitudinal and intervention studies should assess how hope interacts with fatigue and anxiety considering gender over time.