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

Maria E. Loades*, Katharine A. Rimes, Kate Lievesley, Sheila Ali, Trudie Chalder

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

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
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Aug 2020
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

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

Keywords

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

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