Tag: Fennell

Elements of Suffering in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: The Experience of Loss, Grief, Stigma, and Trauma in the Severely and Very Severely Affected

Abstract:

People who are severely and very severely affected by Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) experience profound suffering. This suffering comes from the myriad of losses these patients experience, the grief that comes from these losses, the ongoing stigma that is often experienced as a person with a poorly understood, controversial chronic illness, and the trauma that can result from how other people and the health care community respond to this illness. This review article examines the suffering of patients with ME/CFS through the lens of the Fennell Four-Phase Model of chronic illness.

Using a systems approach, this phase framework illustrates the effects of suffering on the patient and can be utilized to help the clinician, patient, family, and caregivers understand and respond to the patient’s experiences. We highlight the constructs of severity, uncertainty, ambiguity, and chronicity and their role in the suffering endured by patients with ME/CFS. A composite case example is used to illustrate the lives of severely and very severely affected patients. Recommendations for health care providers treating patients with ME/CFS are given and underscore the importance of providers understanding the intense suffering that the severely and very severely affected patients experience.

Source: Fennell PA, Dorr N, George SS. Elements of Suffering in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: The Experience of Loss, Grief, Stigma, and Trauma in the Severely and Very Severely Affected. Healthcare (Basel). 2021 May 9;9(5):553. doi: 10.3390/healthcare9050553. PMID: 34065069. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34065069/

Chronic fatigue syndrome: an examination of the phases

Abstract:

The present study examined the Fennell Phase Inventory, an instrument designed to measure the phases typically experienced by individuals with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). This inventory yields three factor scores of Crisis, Stabilization, and Integration. These factor scores have been employed in a cluster analysis, yielding four clusters that matched the four phases predicted by Fennell: Crisis, Stabilization, Resolution, and Integration. The present study represents a partial replication study of a prior investigation of the Fennell Phase Inventory by Jason et al. (in press), but that earlier study did not have an independent physician examination to diagnose patients with CFS.

In the present study, 65 patients diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome by a physician were recruited and administered the Fennell Phase Inventory and other measures assessing CFS-related symptoms, disability, and coping. Each of the 65 patients was classified into one of four predefined clusters measuring a Crisis phase, a Stabilization phase, a Resolution phase, and an Integration phase. Relationships were explored between three of these cluster groupings and measures of symptoms, disability, and coping.

Results confirmed Fennell’s model, revealing significant differences between the three clusters in terms of levels of disability and modes of coping. Results suggest that the Fennell Phase Inventory accurately differentiates phases of adaptation to illness experienced by individuals with CFS.

 

Source: Jason LA, Fricano G, Taylor RR, Halpert J, Fennell PA, Klein S, Levine S. Chronic fatigue syndrome: an examination of the phases. J Clin Psychol. 2000 Dec;56(12):1497-508. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11132566