To test an attribution–emotion model of reactions to chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis, 30 significant others of 30 adult patients with chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis were administered a semi-structured interview about their beliefs regarding the patient’s illness and completed questionnaire measures of distress and behavioural responses to the patient. Spontaneous causal explanations (attributions) for illness events, symptom exacerbation and negative patient mood were extracted and coded. Significant others’ distress and negative behavioural responses towards the chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis patient were associated with attributing illness events to causes personal and internal to the patient. Our findings may inform the future family-based interventions for chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis.
ArefjordKHallarakerEHavikO. (2002) Illness understanding, causal attributions and emotional reactions in wives of myocardial infarction patients. Psychology and Psychotherapy75(1): 101–114.
2.
BarrowcloughCHooleyJM (2003) Attributions and expressed emotion: A review. Clinical Psychology Review23(6): 849–880.
3.
BarrowcloughCGreggLTarrierN (2008) Expressed emotion and causal attributions in relatives of post-traumatic stress disorder patients. Behaviour Research and Therapy46(2): 207–218.
4.
BrownMKaplanCJasonL (2011) Factor analysis of the Beck Depression Inventory-II with patients with chronic fatigue syndrome. Journal of Health Psychology17(6): 799–808.
5.
CairnsRHotopfM (2005) A systematic review describing the prognosis of chronic fatigue syndrome. Occupational Medicine55(1):20–31.
6.
ChalderTBerelowitzGPawlikowskaT. (1993) Development of a fatigue scale. Journal of Psychosomatic Research37: 147–153.
7.
CollinSMCrawleyEMayMT. (2011) The impact of CFS/ME on employment and productivity in the UK: A cross-sectional study based on the CFS/ME national outcomes database. BMC Health Services Research11: 217.
8.
CordingleyLWeardenAApplebyL. (2001) The Family Response Questionnaire: A new scale to assess the responses of family members to people with chronic fatigue syndrome. Journal of Psychosomatic Research51(2): 417–424.
9.
DijkerAJKoomenW (2003) Extending Weiner’s attribution-emotion model of stigmatization of ill persons. Basic and Applied Social Psychology21(1): 51–68.
10.
FukudaKStraussSEHickieI. (1994) The chronic fatigue syndrome: A comprehensive approach to its definition and study. Annals of Internal Medicine121(12): 953–959.
11.
GoldbergDPWilliamsP (1988) Users’ Guide to the General Health Questionnaire. Windsor, ON, Canada: NFER-Nelson.
12.
GuiseJMcVittieCMcKinlayA (2010) A discourse analytic study of ME/CFS (chronic fatigue syndrome) sufferers’ experiences of interactions with doctors. Journal of Health Psychology15(3): 426–435.
13.
JasonLAPorterNHunnellJ. (2011) CFS prevalence and risk factors over time. Journal of Health Psychology16(3): 445–456.
14.
JohnsonSKSchmalingKBDmochowskiJ.(2010) An investigation of victimization and the clinical course of chronic fatigue syndrome. Journal of Health Psychology15(3): 351–361.
15.
KernsRDTurkDRudyTE (1985) The West Haven-Yale Multidimensional Pain Inventory (WHYMPI). Pain23(4): 345–356.
16.
LeffJVaughnC (1985) Expressed Emotion in Families. New York: Guilford Press.
17.
MuntonAGSilvesterJStrattonP. (1999) Attributions in Action: A Practical Approach to Coding Qualitative Data. Chichester: Wiley.
18.
RomanoJMJensenMPSchmalingKB. (2009) Illness behaviors in patients with unexplained chronic fatigue are associated with significant other responses. Journal of Behavioral Medicine32(6): 558–569.
19.
SchmalingKBSmithWRBuchwaldDS (2000) Significant other responses are associated with fatigue in functional status among patients with chronic fatigue syndrome. Psychosomatic Medicine62(3): 444–450.
20.
TarrierNBarrowcloughCWardJ. (2002) Expressed emotion and attributions in the carers of patients with Alzheimer’s disease: The effect on carer burden. Journal of Abnormal Psychology111(2): 340–349.
21.
WareJSherbourneC (1992) The MOS 36-item short-form, health survey (SF-36). Conceptual framework and item selection. Medical Care30: 473–483.
22.
WeardenAJDowrickCChew-GrahamC. (2010) Nurse led home based self-help treatment for patients in primary care with chronic fatigue syndrome: Randomised controlled trial. British Medical Journal340: c1777.
23.
WeardenAJWardJBarrowcloughC. (2006) Attributions for negative events in the partners of adults with type I diabetes: Associations with partners’ expressed emotion and marital adjustment. British Journal of Health Psychology11(1): 1–21.
WeinerB (1993) On sin and sickness: A theory of perceived responsibility and social motivation. American Psychologist48(9): 957–965.
26.
WeinerBPerryRPMagnussonJ (1988) An attributional analysis of reactions to stigmas. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology55: 738–748.
27.
WhiteKLehmanDRHemphillKJ. (2006) Causal attributions, perceived control and psychological adjustment: A study of chronic fatigue syndrome. Journal of Applied Social Psychology36(1): 75–99.
28.
WhitePDGoldsmithKAJohnsonAL. (2011) Comparison of adaptive pacing therapy, cognitive behaviour therapy, graded exercise therapy, and specialist medical care for chronic fatigue syndrome (PACE): A randomised trial. Lancet377(9768): 823–836.
29.
ZigmondASSnaithRP (1983) The hospital anxiety and depression scale. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica1983(67): 361–370.
