The relationship between body pain, physical fatigue, and mental fatigue in Chinese adolescents

Body pain and fatigue are significant components of subhealth in adolescents. However, few studies to date have examined the cross-temporal interrelationships among body pain, physical fatigue, and mental fatigue in Chinese adolescents.

This study employed a longitudinal design. Body pain, physical fatigue, and mental fatigue were assessed in 966 Chinese adolescents through two waves of surveys conducted 1 year apart. Descriptive statistics, Harman's single-factor test, Pearson correlation, and structural equation modeling were used to analyze the data.

Among Chinese adolescents, body pain and physical fatigue mutually predict each other over a one-year interval, and physical fatigue and mental fatigue also exhibit a bidirectional predictive relationship over time, with all effects reaching a medium level. However, the mutual predictions between body pain and mental fatigue over the one-year interval were not significant. Additionally, gender had significant effects on body pain, physical fatigue, and mental fatigue.

In Chinese adolescents, body pain and physical fatigue predict each other over a one-year period, and so do physical fatigue and mental fatigue. Health interventions targeting adolescents should address both body pain and physical and mental fatigue simultaneously, with particular emphasis on female adolescents.