Table 4.
Characteristics of the total sample and the arousal groups; comparison between the hypoaroused fatigue group (arousal stability score ≤ 6) and the non-hypoaroused fatigue group (arousal stability score ≥ 7)
| Total sample (N = 102) | Non-hypoaroused fatigue (n = 78) | Hypoaroused fatigue (n = 24) | Test value | p value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demographic variables | |||||
| Age | 37.7 ± 12.5 [18–75] | 38.4 ± 12.2 | 35.3 ± 13.5 | Z = − 1.28 | 0.201 |
| Gender (F/M ratio) | 61/41 | 45/33 | 16/8 | X2 = 0.62 | 0.433 |
| MFI-20 dimensions | |||||
| General fatigue | 15.0 ± 2.4 [10–20] | 14.9 ± 2.4 | 15.4 ± 2.5 | Z = − 0.60 | 0.547 |
| Mental fatigue | 14.8 ± 3.2 [4–20] | 14.4 ± 3.3 | 15.9 ± 2.3 | Z = − 2.09 | 0.037 |
| Physical fatigue | 14.0 ± 3.2 [4–20] | 13.7 ± 3.3 | 14.8 ± 2.7 | Z = − 1.34 | 0.180 |
| Reduced activity | 15.5 ± 2.9 [8–20] | 15.3 ± 2.8 | 16.2 ± 3.1 | Z = − 1.67 | 0.095 |
| Reduced motivation | 13.5 ± 3.1 [4–20] | 13.5 ± 3.1 | 13.7 ± 3.5 | Z = − 0.49 | 0.625 |
| AD medication (yes/no) | 44/58 | 37/41 | 7/17 | X2 = 2.49 | 0.114 |
| (Es-) citalopram | 25 | 4 | |||
| (Es-) citalopram/mirtazapine | 4 | 1 | |||
| (Es-) citalopram/opipramol | 1 | 1 | |||
| (Es-) citalopram/trimipramine | 2 | – | |||
| Venlafaxine | – | 1 | |||
| Sertraline | 5 | – | |||
| Arousal stability score | 7.8 ± 2.4 | 8.9 ± 1.6 [7–11] | 4.5 ± 1.3 [2–6] | ||
| Arousal related variables | |||||
| Time of EEG recording (h:min) | 11:02 ± 1:50 | 10:53 ± 1:45 | 11:31 ± 2:04 | Z = − 1.14 | 0.254 |
| Coffee prior to EEG (yes/no) | 61/41 | 48/30 | 13/11 | Χ2 = 0.42 | 0.519 |
| Time of coffee consumption (h:min) | 8:05 ± 1:12 | 8:07 ± 1:15 | 8:00 ± 1:03 | Z = − 0.24 | 0.814 |
| Clinical data | |||||
| History of suicide attempts (yes/no) | 11/87, n = 98 | 7/67, n = 74 | 4/20, n = 24 | Χ2 = 0.94 | 0.331 |
| ICD-10 diagnosis (F32/F33 ratio) | 61/41 | 44/34 | 17/7 | Χ2 = 1.58 | 0.208 |
| Familya history of affective disorders (yes/no) | 16/53 | 11/39 | 5/14 | Χ2 = 0.14 | 0.708 |
Bold values denote statistical significance at the p < 0.05 level
Mean ± SD [range]
MFI-20 Multiple Fatigue Inventory, AD antidepressant, F32 depressive episode, F33 recurrent depressive disorder
aFirst degree relatives