Tag: social functioning

Compelled loneliness and necessitated social isolation: “It’s like being on the other side of a mirror, just looking in”

Abstract:

This article develops the conceptualisation of loneliness by drawing on 42 accounts of myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME). While illness experience is a central concern of the sociology of health and illness, experiences of loneliness alongside contested and chronic illness have received less attention. The analysis illustrates how loneliness can be an integral part of living with ME and offers two novel conceptual contributions – necessitated social isolation and compelled loneliness.

Necessitated social isolation concerns how ME symptoms can make social lives increasingly restricted. Compelled loneliness highlights how the combined experiences of both stigma and contested illness can lead to social withdrawal and rejection, which create a sense of loneliness. The article argues that loneliness and social isolation can be conceptually distinct yet recursive and overlapping.

With the worsening of ME, the participants experienced a cycle of loneliness, in which social isolation and loneliness reproduced each other. Three key themes draw attention to how loneliness is affected by the situational aspects of living with a chronic and contested illness: (1.) spatial and temporal restrictedness (2.) communicative alienation and (3.) discreditation. The article highlights how health challenges can impact on loneliness and how the stigma of contested illness exacerbates loneliness.

Source: Wotherspoon, N. (2023). Compelled loneliness and necessitated social isolation: “It’s like being on the other side of a mirror, just looking in”. Sociology of Health & Illness, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9566.13732 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1467-9566.13732 (Full text)

Operationalizing Substantial Reduction in Functioning Among Young Adults with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Abstract:

PURPOSE: Chronic fatigue syndrome and myalgic encephalomyelitis are fatiguing illnesses that often result in long-term impairment in daily functioning. In reviewing case definitions, Thrope et al. (Fatigue 4(3):175-188, 2016) noted that the vast majority of case definitions used to describe these illnesses list a “substantial reduction” in activities as a required feature for diagnosis. However, there is no consensus on how to best operationalize the criterion of substantial reduction.

METHOD: The present study used a series of receiver operating curve (ROC) analyses to explore the use of the Medical Outcomes Study Short-Form-36 Health Survey (SF-36), designed by Ware and Shelbourne for operationalizing the substantial reduction criterion in a young adult population (18-29 years old). We compared the sensitivity and specificity of various cutoff scores for the SF-36 subscales and assessed their usefulness in discriminating between a group of young adults with a known diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome or myalgic encephalomyelitis (n = 98) versus those without that diagnosis (n = 272).

RESULTS: The four top performing subscales and their associated cutoffs were determined: Physical Functioning ≤ 80, General Health ≤ 47, Role Physical ≤ 25, and Social Functioning ≤ 50. Used in combination, these four cutoff scores were shown to reliably discriminate between the patients and controls in our sample of young adults.

CONCLUSION: The implications of these findings for employing the substantial reduction criterion in both clinical and research settings are discussed.

Source: Gleason KD, Stoothoff J, McClellan D, McManimen S, Thorpe T, Katz BZ, Jason LA.  Operationalizing Substantial Reduction in Functioning Among Young Adults with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Int J Behav Med. 2018 Jun 5. doi: 10.1007/s12529-018-9732-1. [Epub ahead of print] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29872989

Functional level of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome reporting use of alternative vs. traditional treatments

Abstract:

BACKGROUND: Use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is common among patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), but whether it is viewed as more or less effective than traditional medicine is unclear.

PURPOSE: To evaluate patients’ level of functioning based on the types of treatments they report using (i.e., traditional-only, CAM-only, or a combination of both).

METHODS: Participants were recruited from physician referrals and media sources (newspaper, support groups), and 97 participants were retained for this analysis. Based on self-report, individuals were divided into three groups: using CAM-only (N=27), traditional medicine-only (N=22), or a combination of both treatments (N=58).

RESULTS: Social functioning was significant (p<.01), with post-hoc analyses indicating significantly better social functioning for individuals taking CAM-only in comparison to patients using traditional-only or a combination of traditional and CAM treatments. Significantly fewer participants (p<.01) using CAM-only had a current psychiatric diagnosis.

CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest using CAM-only treatments in CFS is associated with higher social functioning and fewer current psychiatric diagnoses. The results support the need for research to fully evaluate how CAM may affect functioning among individuals with CFS.

 

Source: Wise S, Jantke R, Brown A, Jason LA. Functional level of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome reporting use of alternative vs. traditional treatments. Fatigue. 2015;3(4):235-240. Epub 2015 Oct 22. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4830425/ (Full article)

 

Emotion recognition and emotional theory of mind in chronic fatigue syndrome

Abstract:

BACKGROUND: Difficulties with social function have been reported in chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), but underpinning factors are unknown. Emotion recognition, theory of mind (inference of another’s mental state) and ’emotional’ theory of mind (eToM) (inference of another’s emotional state) are important social abilities, facilitating understanding of others. This study examined emotion recognition and eToM in CFS patients and their relationship to self-reported social function.

METHODS: CFS patients (n = 45) and healthy controls (HCs; n = 50) completed tasks assessing emotion recognition, basic or advanced eToM (for self and other) and a self-report measure of social function.

RESULTS: CFS participants were poorer than HCs at recognising emotion states in the faces of others and at inferring their own emotions. Lower scores on these tasks were associated with poorer self-reported daily and social function. CFS patients demonstrated good eToM and performance on these tasks did not relate to the level of social function.

CONCLUSIONS: CFS patients do not have poor eToM, nor does eToM appear to be associated with social functioning in CFS. However, this group of patients experience difficulties in emotion recognition and inferring emotions in themselves and this may impact upon social function.

 

Source: Oldershaw A, Hambrook D, Rimes KA, Tchanturia K, Treasure J, Richards S, Schmidt U, Chalder T. Emotion recognition and emotional theory of mind in chronic fatigue syndrome. Psychol Health. 2011 Aug;26(8):989-1005. doi: 10.1080/08870446.2010.519769. Epub 2011 May 23. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21598185

 

Quality of life in chronic fatigue syndrome

Abstract:

Whilst the debilitating fatigue experienced in patients suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) results in a subjective marked impairment in functioning, little research has investigated the impact of this disorder on quality of life.

Forty-seven subjects with a confirmed diagnosis of CFS and 30 healthy controls were compared using the Sickness Impact Profile (SIP). A subgroup of subjects were interviewed regarding the impact CFS has had on their social and family relationships, work and recreational activities.

Results from both the SIP and the interview revealed that CFS subjects had significantly impaired quality of life, especially in areas of social functioning. These findings highlight the importance of addressing the social isolation and loss of role functioning experienced by CFS sufferers.

 

Source: Schweitzer R, Kelly B, Foran A, Terry D, Whiting J. Quality of life in chronic fatigue syndrome. Soc Sci Med. 1995 Nov;41(10):1367-72. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8560304

 

Dimensional assessment of chronic fatigue syndrome

Abstract:

The absence of laboratory tests and clear criteria to identify homogeneous (sub)groups in patients presenting with unexplained fatigue, and to assess clinical status and disability in these patients, calls for further assessment methods. In the present study, a multi-dimensional approach to the assessment of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is evaluated.

Two-hundred and ninety-eight patients with CFS completed a set of postal questionnaires that assessed the behavioural, emotional, social, and cognitive aspects of CFS. By means of statistical analyses nine relatively independent dimensions of CFS were identified along which CFS-assessment and CFS-research can be directed.

These dimensions were named: psychological well-being, functional impairment in daily life, sleep disturbances, avoidance of physical activity, neuropsychological impairment, causal attributions related to the complaints, social functioning, self-efficacy expectations, and subjective experience of the personal situation. A description of the study sample on these dimensions is presented.

 

Source: Vercoulen JH, Swanink CM, Fennis JF, Galama JM, van der Meer JW, Bleijenberg G. Dimensional assessment of chronic fatigue syndrome. J Psychosom Res. 1994 Jul;38(5):383-92. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7965927