Cognitive and behavioural responses to symptoms in adolescents with chronic fatigue syndrome: A case-control study nested within a cohort

TY - JOUR

T1 - Cognitive and behavioural responses to symptoms in adolescents with chronic fatigue syndrome

T2 - A case-control study nested within a cohort

AU - Loades, Maria

AU - Rimes, Katharine Amber

AU - Lievesley, Kate

AU - Ali , Sheila

AU - Chalder, Trudie

PY - 2019/7/1

Y1 - 2019/7/1

N2 - Background: What adolescents think about symptoms and what they do in response could contribute to fatigue maintenance. We compared the cognitive and behavioural responses of adolescents and their parents with CFS (N = 121) to asthma (N = 27) and explored the predictive value of these variables on fatigue and functioning in CFS.Method: Consecutively referred adolescents with CFS were recruited. Questionnaires, completed by adolescents and parents, assessed fatigue, functioning, mood and cognitive and behavioural responses to symptoms. Age matched adolescents with asthma completed the same questionnaires. Adolescents with CFS completed questionnaires again approximately 3 months later. Results: Adolescents with CFS scored higher on all unhelpful cognitive and behavioural subscales than adolescents with asthma. Parents’ cognitions about their child’s symptoms were associated with adolescent’s own cognitions. Unhelpful cognitive and behavioural responses, particularly damage beliefs, predicted subsequent fatigue in CFS, and all-or-nothing behaviour, catastrophising and damage beliefs predicted subsequent physical functioning.Conclusions: Unhelpful cognitive and behavioural responses to symptoms appear to be particularly prominent in adolescents with CFS. There is some consistency but not a perfect match between cognitive and behavioural responses to symptoms reported by adolescents and their parents. These responses could be contributing to fatigue maintenance and disability.

AB - Background: What adolescents think about symptoms and what they do in response could contribute to fatigue maintenance. We compared the cognitive and behavioural responses of adolescents and their parents with CFS (N = 121) to asthma (N = 27) and explored the predictive value of these variables on fatigue and functioning in CFS.Method: Consecutively referred adolescents with CFS were recruited. Questionnaires, completed by adolescents and parents, assessed fatigue, functioning, mood and cognitive and behavioural responses to symptoms. Age matched adolescents with asthma completed the same questionnaires. Adolescents with CFS completed questionnaires again approximately 3 months later. Results: Adolescents with CFS scored higher on all unhelpful cognitive and behavioural subscales than adolescents with asthma. Parents’ cognitions about their child’s symptoms were associated with adolescent’s own cognitions. Unhelpful cognitive and behavioural responses, particularly damage beliefs, predicted subsequent fatigue in CFS, and all-or-nothing behaviour, catastrophising and damage beliefs predicted subsequent physical functioning.Conclusions: Unhelpful cognitive and behavioural responses to symptoms appear to be particularly prominent in adolescents with CFS. There is some consistency but not a perfect match between cognitive and behavioural responses to symptoms reported by adolescents and their parents. These responses could be contributing to fatigue maintenance and disability.

KW - Parents

KW - all-or-nothing

KW - catastrophising

KW - cognitive behavioural therapy

KW - damage beliefs

KW - psychosocial functioning

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85063045995&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1177/1359104519835583

DO - 10.1177/1359104519835583

M3 - Article

SN - 1359-1045

VL - 24

SP - 564

EP - 579

JO - Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry

JF - Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry

IS - 3

ER -