The role of severe life stress, social support, and attachment in the onset of chronic fatigue syndrome
Year: 1998
Type: dissertation
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: At present there is no known cure for chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). Also, neither medical nor psychological models have been able to discover the cause of CFS. The present study investigates four psychosocial variables (life stress, social support, adult attachment, and parental bonding) that are hypothesized to predispose individuals to this illness. Twenty-two participants (5 men and 17 women) diagnosed with CFS were recruited from support and education groups in the Metropolitan Toronto area. They were compared to 24 healthy control participants (6 men and 18 women) recruited from the Graduate Department of Education at the University of Toronto. Each participant completed the Short Life Events and Difficulties Interview, a social support interview, the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Relationship Questionnaire (RQ), the Relationship Scales Questionnaire (RSQ), the Revised Adult Attachment Scale (RAAS), and the Parental Bonding Inventory (BDI), Significant differences were found between groups on the BDI, RAAS, and PBI questionnaires. In addition, interview data revealed that in the year prior to the onset of their illness, CFS participants experienced significantly more stress and less support than healthy control participants. A hierarchical logistic regression analysis was conducted to investigate which of the variables in the present study were most predictive of CFS. Severe life stress was the only predictor variable that significantly distinguished between the two groups (Wald (1) = 4.84, p = .028), with the social support variable approaching significance in the equation (Wald (1) = 3.28, p = .070). Overall, the resulting regression equation correctly classified 78.3% of the participants in the present study. A multifactorial model of CFS based on the findings of this study is presented.
Author: Melissa Isabella Mayer
Language: English
Subfield: Psychiatry and Mental health
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2887517593