Profiles of mood state fatigue scale is responsive to fatiguing protocol but shows no relationship to perceived or performance decrements
Abstract
The Profiles of Mood State, fatigue subscale (POMS-Fatigue) has been proposed as a measure of fatigue during exercise. No previous research has established whether it is responsive to fatiguing exercise or correlated with measures of fatigability. Twenty-three participants performed an incremental, fatiguing bout of exercise on a treadmill (Mean time ≈ 55 minutes). Measures of fatigability included: ratings of perceived exertion (RPE), heart rate, rate of force development, perceptual-motor reaction times, and maximal jump distance. The POMS-Fatigue and fatigability measures were assessed pre- and post-exercise. Maximal scores and pre-post change scores for the POMS were calculated to assess responsiveness and correlation coefficients were calculated to assess the relationship with fatigability measures (α = 0.05). The POMS-Fatigue (0-20) showed good responsiveness, with a mean change of 16.26 points (95% CI = 15.18-17.34), with every participant demonstrating a change of at least 11 points. The strongest correlations between POMS-Fatigue change and max scores were with maximal RPE (R = 0.251-0.376); however, no correlations showed statistical significance. In summary, the POMS-Fatigue was responsive to fatiguing exercise. However, the lack of a relationship with fatigability measures may point toward the need for refinement of several items on the scale.
