Psychological correlates of functional status in chronic fatigue syndrome.
BACKGROUND
The present study was designed to test a cognitive model of impairment in chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) in which disability is a function of severity of fatigue and depressive symptoms, generalized somatic symptom attributions and generalized illness worry.


METHODS
We compared 45 CFS and 40 multiple sclerosis (MS) outpatients on measures of functional ability, fatigue severity, depressive symptoms, somatic symptom attribution and illness worry.


RESULTS
The results confirmed previous findings of lower levels of functional status and greater fatigue among CFS patients compared to a group of patients with MS. Fatigue severity was found to be a significant predictor of physical functioning but not of psychosocial functioning in both groups. In CFS, when level of fatigue was controlled, making more somatic attributions was associated with worse physical functioning, and both illness worry and depressive symptoms were associated with worse psychosocial functioning.


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings support the role of depression and illness cognitions in disability in CFS sufferers. Different cognitive factors account for physical and psychosocial disability in CFS and MS. The SF-36 may be sensitive to symptom attributions, suggesting caution in its interpretation when used with patients with ill-defined medical conditions.
Taillefer
Suzanne S
SS
Department of Psychology, Université de Montréal, Canada.
Kirmayer
Laurence J
LJ
Robbins
James M
JM
Lasry
Jean-Claude
JC
D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety; D003071:Cognition; D003863:Depression; D015673:Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic / Q000473:pathology / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008960:Models, Psychological; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012720:Severity of Illness Index