Creswell, C, Chalder, T · Journal of psychosomatic research · 2001 · DOI
This study looked at how people with ME/CFS cope with stress and worry compared to healthy people and those with other chronic illnesses. Researchers found that people with ME/CFS were more likely to use a coping style where they appear calm and in control on the surface while actually feeling anxious underneath. The study suggests this defensive coping pattern may be connected to how ME/CFS develops and affects the body.
This study provides early empirical evidence supporting the cognitive-behavioral theory of ME/CFS, suggesting psychological coping patterns may play a role in the condition's development or maintenance. Understanding these potential mechanisms could inform psychological interventions and help clinicians recognize patterns in how patients manage their condition. However, findings should be interpreted cautiously as they do not prove coping style causes ME/CFS.
This study does not prove that defensive coping causes ME/CFS, only that the two are associated in this sample. The cross-sectional design cannot establish temporal relationships or rule out reverse causation (e.g., having ME/CFS could lead to defensive coping rather than vice versa). It also does not explain the biological mechanisms by which coping style might affect physical health, nor does it account for other potential confounding factors.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
Spotted an error in this entry? Report it →