Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-s2hrs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-03T05:43:33.408Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Coping with chronic fatigue syndrome: illness responses and their relationship with fatigue, functional impairment and emotional status

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2009

C. Ray ,
S. Jefferies  and
W. R. C. Weir
C. Ray*
Affiliation:
Department of Human Sciences, Brunel University, Uxbridge; Coppetts Wood Hospital, Royal Free Group, London
S. Jefferies
Affiliation:
Department of Human Sciences, Brunel University, Uxbridge; Coppetts Wood Hospital, Royal Free Group, London
W. R. C. Weir
Affiliation:
Department of Human Sciences, Brunel University, Uxbridge; Coppetts Wood Hospital, Royal Free Group, London
*
1Address for correspondence: Dr C. Ray, Department of Human Sciences, Brunel University, Uxbridge, Middlesex UB8 3PH.
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Synopsis

The implications of patients' approaches to managing chronic fatigue syndrome were examined in a cross-sectional study. With severity of fatigue controlled, attempting to maintain activity was associated with less functional impairment, while accommodating to the illness was positively related to impairment; behavioural disengagement was related not only to higher levels of impairment but also to greater emotional disturbance. Fatigue itself was positively associated with focusing on symptoms and with behavioural disengagement; it was associated also with illness accommodation, but only for illness of longer duration. The causal direction of relationships between coping and fatigue severity is ambiguous, and a follow-up study will address the effects of coping on changes in the illness over time.

Type
Original Articles
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 25 , Issue 5 , September 1995 , pp. 937 - 945
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Abbey, S. E. & Garfinkel, P. E. (1991). Chronic fatigue syndrome and depression: cause, effect or covariate? Reviews of Infectious Diseases 13, (suppl. 1), 73–83.Google Scholar
Aiken, L. S. & West, S. G. (1991). Multiple Regression: Testing and Interpreting Interactions. Sage: California.Google Scholar
Archer, M. I. (1987). The post-viral fatigue syndrome: a review. Journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners 37, 212–214.Google Scholar
Bowles, N. E., Bayston, T. A., Zhang, H- Y., Doyle, D., Lane, R. J. M., Cunningham, L. & Archard, L. C. (1993). Persistence of enterovirus RNA in muscle biopsy samples suggests that some cases of chronic fatigue syndrome result from a previous, inflammatory viral myopathy. Journal of Medicine 24, 145–160.Google ScholarPubMed
Buchwald, D. & Komaroff, A. L. (1991). Review of laboratory findings for patients with chronic fatigue syndrome. Reviews of Infectious Diseases 13 (suppl. 1), S12–S18.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Butler, S., Chalder, T., Row, M. & Wessely, S. (1991). Cognitive behaviour therapy in the chronic fatigue syndrome. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry 54, 153–158.Google Scholar
Carver, C. S., Scheier, M. F. & Weintraub, J. K. (1989). Assessing coping strategies: a theoretically based approach. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 56, 267–283.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Carver, C. S., Scheier, M. F. & Pozo, C. (1992). Conceptualizing the process of coping with health problems. Hostility, Coping and Health (ed. Friedman, H. S.), pp. 167–187. American Psychological Association: Washington, DC.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cohen, J. & Cohen, P. (1983). Applied Multiple Regression/Correlation Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences. Lawrence Erlbaum: Hillsdale, New Jersey.Google Scholar
Dawes, B. (1991). What does M.E. mean to me? A holistic viewpoint. Maternal and Child Health 12, 380–384.Google Scholar
Demitrack, M. A. & Greden, J. F. (1991). Chronic fatigue syndrome: the need for an integrative approach. Biological Psychiatry 30, 747–752.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Demitrack, M. A., Dale, J. K., Straus, S. E., Laue, L., Listwak, S. J., Kruesi, M. J. P., Chrousos, G. P. & Gold, P. W. (1991). Evidence for impaired activation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism 73, 1224–1234.Google Scholar
Dowsett, E. G., Ramsay, A. M., McCartney, R. A. & Bell, E. J. (1990). Myalgic encephalomyelitis – a persistent enteroviral infection? Postgraduate Medical Journal 66, 526–530.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Folkman, S. & Lazarus, R. S. (1985). If it changes it must be a process: study of emotion and coping during three stages of a college examination. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 48, 150–170.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Folkman, S., Lazarus, R. S., Dunkel-Schetter, C., DeLongis, A. & Gruen, R. J. (1986). Dynamics of a stressful encounter: cognitive appraisal, coping and encounter outcomes. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 50, 992–1003.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Friedberg, F. & Krupp, L. B. (1994). A comparison of cognitive behavioral treatment for chronic fatigue syndrome and primary depression. Clinical Infectious Diseases 18 (suppl. 1), S105–S110.Google Scholar
Gold, D., Bowden, R., Sixbey, J., Riggs, R., Katon, W. J., Ashley, R., Obrigewitch, R. & Corey, L. (1990). Chronic fatigue: a prospective clinical and virological study. Journal of the American Medical Association 264, 48–53.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goldthorpe, J. H. (1987). Social Mobility and Class Structure in Modern Britain. Clarendon Press: Oxford.Google Scholar
Gow, J. W., Behan, W. M. H., Simpson, K., McGarry, F., Keir, S. & Behan, P. O. (1994). Studies on enterovirus in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome. Clinical Infectious Diseases 18 (suppl. 1), S126–S129.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hinds, G. M. E. & McClusky, D. R. (1993). A retrospective study of the chronic fatigue syndrome. Proceedings of the Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh 23, 10–14.Google Scholar
Holmes, J. A. & Stevenson, C. A. Z. (1990). Differential effects of avoidant and attentional coping strategies on adaptation to chronic and recent-onset pain. Health Psychology 9, 577–584.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ho-Yen, D. O. (1990). Patient management of post-viral fatigue syndrome. British Journal of General Practice 40, 37–39.Google Scholar
Jenkins, M. (1989). Thoughts on the management of myalgic encephalomyelitis. British Journal of Homeopathy 78, 6–14.Google Scholar
Jensen, M. P. & Karoly, P. (1991). Control beliefs, coping efforts, and adjustment to chronic pain. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 59, 431–438.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jensen, M. P., Turner, J. A., Romano, J. M. & Karoly, P. (1991). Coping with chronic pain: A critical review of the literature. Pain 47, 249–283.Google Scholar
Komaroff, A. L. & Buchwald, D. (1991). Symptoms and signs of chronic fatigue syndrome. Reviews of Infectious Diseases 13 (suppl. 1), S8–S11.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kruesi, M. J. P., Dale, J. & Straus, S. E. (1989). Psychiatric diagnoses in patients who have chronic fatigue syndrome. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry 50, 53–56.Google ScholarPubMed
Landay, A. L., Jessop, C., Lennette, E. T. & Levy, J. A. (1991). Chronic fatigue syndrome: clinical condition associated with immune activation. Lancet 338, 707–712.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lewis, G. & Wessely, S. (1992). The epidemiology of fatigue – more questions than answers. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health 46, 92–98.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lloyd, A. R., Hickie, I., Brockman, A., Hickie, C., Wilson, A., Dwyer, J. & Wakefield, D. (1993). Immunologic and psychologic therapy for patients with chronic fatigue syndrome: a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. American Journal of Medicine 94, 197–203.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McDonald, E., David, A. S., Pelosi, A. J. & Mann, A. H. (1993). Chronic fatigue in primary care attenders. Psychological Medicine 23, 987–998.Google Scholar
Marks, I. M. (1986). Behavioural Psychotherapy. Wright: Bristol.Google Scholar
Powell, R., Dolan, R. & Wessely, S. (1990). Attributions and self esteem in depression and chronic fatigue syndrome. Journal of Psychosomatic Research 34, 665–673.Google Scholar
Ray, C. (1991). Chronic fatigue syndrome and depression: conceptual and methodological difficulties. Psychological Medicine 21, 1–9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ray, C., Weir, W. R. C., Cullen, S. & Phillips, S. (1991). Illness perception and symptom components in chronic fatigue syndrome. Journal of Psychosomatic Research 36, 243–256.Google Scholar
Ray, C., Weir, W. R. C., Phillips, S. & Cullen, S. (1992). Development of a measure of symptoms in chronic fatigue syndrome: The Profile of Fatigue-Related Symptoms (PFRS). Psychology and Health 7, 27–43.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ray, C., Weir, W., Stewart, D., Miller, P. & Hyde, G. (1993). Ways of coping with chronic fatigue syndrome: development of an illness management questionnaire. Social Science and Medicine 37, 385–391.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Redmond, C. K. (1991). Analysis of clinical, epidemiologic and laboratory data on chronic fatigue syndrome. Reviews of Infectious Diseases 13 (suppl. 1), S90–S93.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sharpe, M. (1993). Non-pharmacological approaches to treatment. In Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Ciba Foundation Symposium 173. (ed. Bock, G. R. and Whelan, J.), pp. 298–317. Wiley: Chichester.Google Scholar
Sharpe, M. C., Archard, L. C., Banatvala, J. E., Borysiewicz, L. K., Clare, A. W., David, A., Edwards, R. H. T., Hawton, K. E. H., Lambert, H. P., Lane, R. J. M., McDonald, E. M., Mowbray, J. F., Pearson, D. J., Peto, T. E. A., Preedy, V. R., Smith, A. P., Smith, D. G., Taylor, D. J., Tyrell, D. A. J., Wessely, S. & White, P. D. (1991). Guidelines for the conduct of research into the chronic fatigue syndrome. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine 84, 118–121.Google Scholar
Sharpe, M., Hawton, K., Seagroatt, V. & Pasvol, G. (1992). Follow-up of patients presenting with fatigue to an infectious diseases clinic. British Medical Journal 305, 147–152.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shepherd, C. (1989). Myalgic encephalomyelitis – is it a real disease? Practioner 233, 41–46.Google ScholarPubMed
Spracklen, F. H. N. (1988). The chronic fatigue syndrome (myalgic encephalomyelitis) – myth or mystery? South African Medical Journal 74, 448–452.Google ScholarPubMed
Straus, S. E. (1992). Defining the chronic fatigue syndrome. Archives of Internal Medicine 152, 1569–1570.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Swartz, M. N. (1988). The chronic fatigue syndrome – one entity or many? New England Journal of Medicine 319, 1726–1728.Google Scholar
Taerk, G. S., Toner, B. B., Salit, I. E., Garfinkel, P. E. & Ozersky, S. (1987). Depression in patients with neuromyasthenia (benign myalgic encephalomyelitis). International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine 17, 49–56.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Thase, M. E. (1991). Assessment of depression in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome. Reviews of Infectious Diseases 13 (suppl. 1), S114–S118.Google Scholar
Turk, D. C. & Rudy, T. E. (1992). Cognitive factors and persistent pain – a glimpse into Pandora's Box. Cognitive Therapy and Research 16, 99–122.Google Scholar
Wallston, K. A. (1989). Assessment of control in health-care settings. In Stress, Personal Control and Health (ed. Steptoe, A. and Appels, A.), pp. 85–106. Wiley: Chichester.Google Scholar
Wallston, K. A. (1992). Hocus-pocus, the focus isn't strictly on locus: Rotter's social learning theory modified for health. Cognitive Therapy and Research 16, 183–199.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wallston, K. A., Wallston, B. S., Smith, S. & Dobbins, C. J. (1987). Perceived control and health. Current Psychological Research and Reviews 6, 5–25.Google Scholar
Weir, W. R. C. (1991). The presentation, assessment, investigation and diagnosis of patients with post-viral fatigue syndrome in an infectious diseases clinic. In Post-Viral Fatigue Syndrome (ed. Jenkins, R. and Mowbray, J.), pp. 247–253. Wiley: Chichester.Google Scholar
Wessely, S. & Powell, R. (1989). Fatigue syndromes: a comparison of ‘postviral’ fatigue with neuromuscular and affective disorder. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry 52, 940–948.Google Scholar
Wessely, S., David, A., Butler, S. & Chalder, T. (1990). Management of the post-viral fatigue syndrome. British Journal of General Practice 02, 82–83.Google Scholar
Wessely, S., Butler, S., Chalder, T. & David, A. (1991). The cognitive behavioural management of the post-viral fatigue syndrome. In Post-Viral Fatigue Syndrome (ed. Jenkins, R. and Mowbray, J.), pp. 305–334. Wiley: Chichester.Google Scholar
Wilson, A., Hickie, I., Lloyd, A., Hadzi-Pavlovic, D., Boughton, C. & Dwyer, J. (1994). Longitudinal study of chronic fatigue syndrome. British Medical Journal 308, 756–759.Google Scholar
Wood, G. C., Bentall, R. P., Göpfert, M. & Edwards, R. H. T. (1991). A comparative psychiatric assessment of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome and muscle disease. Psychological Medicine 21, 619–628.Google Scholar
Yeomans, J. D. I. & Conway, S. P. (1991). Biopsychosocial aspects of chronic fatigue syndrome (myalgic encephalomyelitis). Journal of Infection 23, 263–269.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Zigmond, A. S. & Snaith, R. P. (1983). The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica 67, 361–370.Google Scholar