CONCURRENT VALIDITY OF THE BECK-DEPRESSION-INVENTORY AND THE MULTIDIMENSIONAL FATIGUE INVENTORY-20 IN ASSESSING FATIGUE AMONG CANCER-PATIENTS

Cancer patients experience both fatigue and depression while undergoin g treatment for their disease. A number of authors have conceptualized such depression among this populations as secondary to fatigue. This study of 54 patients was done to test the concurrent validity of two i nventories. Scores on the five subscales of the 20-item Multidimension al Fatigue Inventory were correlated with those on the 21-item Beck De pression Inventory. Moderate correlations are reported and the potenti al usefulness of the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory is discussed.