Tag: coping

Psychosocial factors and chronic fatigue syndrome

Abstract:

This study investigated the number and severity of life events, Type A behaviour, coping strategies and social support differences between chronic fatigue and irritable bowel syndrome patients prior to illness and between these groups and healthy controls. Although few differences were found between the groups for life events, a number of interesting results emerged with regard to different aspects of Type A behaviour, various coping strategies and social support. These findings are discussed with respect to existing research in the field.

 

Source: Lewis S, Cooper CL, Bennett D. Psychosocial factors and chronic fatigue syndrome. Psychol Med. 1994 Aug;24(3):661-71. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7991748

 

Psychosocial correlates of illness burden in chronic fatigue syndrome

Abstract:

We related reported physical symptoms, cognitive appraisals (e.g., negative style of thinking), and coping strategies (e.g., denial/disengagement strategies) with illness burden across several functional domains separately in subsets of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) patients with (n = 26) and without (n = 39) concurrently diagnosed major depressive disorder (MDD).

In regard to cognitive appraisal measures, automatic thoughts and dysfunctional attitudes were strongly associated with a higher illness burden, as indicated in sickness impact profile (SIP) scores. Active-involvement coping strategies measured on COPE scales (active coping, planning, and positive reinterpretation and growth) were not associated with SIP scores, while other coping strategies (mental disengagement, behavioral disengagement, and denial) were positively correlated with psychosocial and physical SIP scales, especially those pertaining to interpersonal life-style arenas.

After we accounted for the number of different CFS-specific physical complaints reported and DSM-III-R depression diagnosis status, cognitive appraisals and coping strategies predicted a substantial proportion of the variance in the severity of illness burden. For the most part, the magnitude of these relationships between our predictor model variables and illness burden severity was similar in the MDD and non-MDD subgroups.

 

Source: Antoni MH, Brickman A, Lutgendorf S, Klimas N, Imia-Fins A, Ironson G, Quillian R, Miguez MJ, van Riel F, Morgan R, et al. Psychosocial correlates of illness burden in chronic fatigue syndrome. Clin Infect Dis. 1994 Jan;18 Suppl 1:S73-8. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8148457

 

Ways of coping with chronic fatigue syndrome: development of an illness management questionnaire

Abstract:

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a disorder of uncertain aetiology, and there is uncertainty also about the appropriate way in which patients should manage the illness. An illness management questionnaire (IMQ) was designed to assess coping in CFS. This was completed by 207 patients, in parallel with the COPE scales (a general measure of coping that can be applied situationally), and measures of functional impairment, anxiety and depression.

The IMQ yielded four factors: maintaining activity, accommodating to the illness, focusing on symptoms and information-seeking. Scales based upon these factors together predicted 26, 27 and 22% of the variance in functional impairment, anxiety and depression, respectively, and each scale had significant relationships with relevant scales of the COPE, supporting the interpretation of the factors. It is suggested that the IMQ may be employed to relate ways of coping to outcomes in CFS, and to assess coping as a mediator of change in cognitive-behavioural interventions.

 

Source: Ray C, Weir W, Stewart D, Miller P, Hyde G. Ways of coping with chronic fatigue syndrome: development of an illness management questionnaire. Soc Sci Med. 1993 Aug;37(3):385-91. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8356486

 

Psychiatric symptoms, personality and ways of coping in chronic fatigue syndrome

Abstract:

This study aimed to investigate the psychological characteristics of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS: Holmes et al. 1988).

A battery of psychometric instruments comprising the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) and the Lazarus Ways of Coping (WoC) inventory, was administered to a sample of clinically-defined CFS sufferers (N = 58), to a comparison group of chronic pain (CP) patients (N = 81) and to a group of healthy controls matched for sex and age with the CFS sample (N = 104).

Considerable overlap was found between CFS and CP patients at the level of both physical and psychological symptoms. This raises the possibility that CFS sufferers are a sub-population of CP patients. However, while there was some commonality between CFS and CP patients in terms of personality traits, particularly the MMPI ‘neurotic triad’ (hypochondriasis, depression and hysteria),

CFS patients showed more deviant personality traits reflecting raised levels on the first MMPI factor, emotionality. Moreover, results were not consistent with the raised emotionality being a reaction to the illness, but rather were consistent with the hypothesis that emotionality is a predisposing factor for CFS.

The majority of CFS patients fell within four personality types, each characterized by the two highest MMPI scale scores. One type (N = 20) reported a lack of psychological symptoms or emotional disturbance contrary to the overall trend for the CFS sample. This group conformed to the ICD-10 classification of neurasthenia.

 

Source: Blakely AA, Howard RC, Sosich RM, Murdoch JC, Menkes DB, Spears GF. Psychiatric symptoms, personality and ways of coping in chronic fatigue syndrome. Psychol Med. 1991 May;21(2):347-62. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1876640