TY - JOUR
T1 - Attitudes regarding chronic fatigue syndrome
T2 - The importance of a name
AU - Jason, Leonard
AU - Taylor, Renee R.
AU - Stepanek, Zuzana
AU - Plioplys, Sigita
PY - 2001
Y1 - 2001
N2 - Undergraduates from diverse academic backgrounds and medical trainees were assessed regarding their attitudes about and familiarity with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). We explored whether different names given to chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS, myalgic encephalopathy, or Florence Nightingale disease) were associated with differences in attributions regarding its cause, nature, severity, contagion, prognosis, and treatment. Participants' attributions toward the illness varied with the names used to characterize it. Participants prompted with the myalgic encephalopathy name were more likely to attribute a biomedical cause to the illness, and less likely to consider patients as candidates for organ donation than those prompted with the CFS name. Although the medical trainees were less likely to consider the patient as malingering, and more likely to view the illness as leading to poorer quality of life and a poorer prognosis, they were also more likely to consider the illness a form of primary depression, more likely to think the patient would attempt suicide, and less likely to consider associated cognitive symptoms as severe. The implications are discussed.
AB - Undergraduates from diverse academic backgrounds and medical trainees were assessed regarding their attitudes about and familiarity with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). We explored whether different names given to chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS, myalgic encephalopathy, or Florence Nightingale disease) were associated with differences in attributions regarding its cause, nature, severity, contagion, prognosis, and treatment. Participants' attributions toward the illness varied with the names used to characterize it. Participants prompted with the myalgic encephalopathy name were more likely to attribute a biomedical cause to the illness, and less likely to consider patients as candidates for organ donation than those prompted with the CFS name. Although the medical trainees were less likely to consider the patient as malingering, and more likely to view the illness as leading to poorer quality of life and a poorer prognosis, they were also more likely to consider the illness a form of primary depression, more likely to think the patient would attempt suicide, and less likely to consider associated cognitive symptoms as severe. The implications are discussed.
KW - Attributions
KW - Chronic fatigue syndrome
KW - Name
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U2 - 10.1177/135910530100600105
DO - 10.1177/135910530100600105
M3 - Article
C2 - 22049238
AN - SCOPUS:0035151151
SN - 1359-1053
VL - 6
SP - 61
EP - 71
JO - Journal of Health Psychology
JF - Journal of Health Psychology
IS - 1
ER -