Chronic fatigue syndrome: sociodemographic subtypes in a community-based sample.
Most chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) studies are based on information about patients from primary or tertiary care settings. These patients might not be typical of patients in the general population. This investigation involved examinations of individuals with CFS from a community-based study. A random sample of 18,675 in Chicago was interviewed by telephone. Individuals with chronic fatigue and at least four minor symptoms associated with CFS were given medical and psychiatric examinations. A group of physicians then diagnosed individuals with CFS, who were then subclassified based on three sociodemographic categories--gender, ethnicity, and work status. Sociodemographic subgroups were analyzed in terms of symptom severity, functional disability, coping, optimism, perceived stress, and psychiatric comorbidity. Women, minorities, and nonworking individuals with CFS reported greater levels of functional disability, symptom severity, and poorer psychosocial functioning than men, Caucasians, and working individuals, suggesting sociodemographic characteristics may be associated with poorer outcomes in urban, community-based samples of CFS individuals.
Jason
L A
LA
Department of Psychology, DePaul University, Chicago, Illinois 60614, USA.
Taylor
R R
RR
Kennedy
C L
CL
Jordan
K
K
Song
S
S
Johnson
D E
DE
Torres
S R
SR
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002641:Chicago / Q000453:epidemiology; D015673:Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008913:Minority Groups / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires