Illness beliefs of adolescents with CFS and their parents: The perceived causes of illness and beliefs about recovery

Maria Loades, Katharine Rimes, Kate Lievesley, Sheila Ali, Trudie Chalder

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Abstract

The objective here was to explore beliefs about the causes of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) in a cohort of adolescents with CFS and their parents, and to explore the adolescent’s beliefs about recovery. Questionnaires were administered to a clinical cohort of adolescents (n = 104) and their parents (n = 102 mothers and 63 fathers), presenting to a specialist CFS unit. These included a question about the causes of their illness. Adolescents were also asked about the projected timeline of their recovery from CFS. The most commonly endorsed causes of CFS by adolescents and their parents were a virus and/or contextual factors and stress. Adolescents and their parents were in close agreement about the causes of CFS. Most adolescents said they did not know how long it would take them to recover from CFS. Informing adolescents about the prognosis for CFS is an important aspect of treatment.
Original languageEnglish
Article number20170197
JournalInternational Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health
Volume32
Issue number4
Early online date17 Aug 2018
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Aug 2020

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
ML receives salary support from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Doctoral Research Fellowship Scheme. TC acknowledges the financial support of the Department of Health via the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Specialist Biomedical Research Centre for Mental Health award to the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM) and the Institute of Psychiatry at King’s College London. This paper represents independent research funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and King’s College London. The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NHS, the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care. The authors would like to thank all the young people and their families who took part in this study.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston.

Keywords

  • CFS/ME
  • adolescents
  • chronic fatigue syndrome
  • illness beliefs
  • parents

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Pediatrics, Perinatology, and Child Health
  • Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

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