Abstract
Objective Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) symptoms have been shown to be exacerbated by stress and ameliorated by group-based psychosocial interventions such as cognitive behavioral stress management (CBSM). Still, patients may have difficulty attending face-to-face groups. This study compared the effects of a telephone-delivered (T-CBSM) vs a live (L-CBSM) group on perceived stress and symptomology in adults with CFS. Methods Intervention data from 100 patients with CFS (mean age 50 years; 90% female) participating in T-CBSM (N = 56) or L-CBSM (N = 44) in previously conducted randomized clinical trials were obtained. Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention symptom checklist scores were compared with repeated measures analyses of variance in adjusted and unadjusted analyses. Results Participants across groups showed no differences in most demographic and illness variables at study entry and had similar session attendance. Both conditions showed significant reductions in PSS scores, with L-CBSM showing a large effect (partial ε2 = 0.16) and T-CBSM a medium effect (partial ε2 = 0.095). For CFS symptom frequency and severity scores, L-CBSM reported large effect size improvements (partial ε2 = 0.19–0.23), while T-CBSM showed no significant changes over time. Conclusions Two different formats for delivering group-based CBSM—live and telephone—showed reductions in perceived stress among patients with CFS. However, only the live format was associated with physical symptom improvements, with specific effects on post-exertional malaise, chills, fever, and restful sleep. The added value of the live group format is discussed, along with implications for future technology-facilitated group interventions in this population.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 41-47 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | Journal of Psychosomatic Research |
Volume | 93 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Feb 1 2017 |
Funding
Conflicts of interest and source of funding: Michael H. Antoni, the principal investigator of this study, as well as Daniel L. Hall, Emily G. Lattie, Sara Czaja, Mary Ann Fletcher, Nancy Klimas, and Dolores Perdomo received funding for this study through the National Institutes of Health (5R01NS055672). DLH was subsequently supported by an institutional National Research Service Award (T32AT000051) from the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health at the National Institutes of Health. The authors report no conflicts of interest.
Keywords
- CFS
- Cognitive behavioral stress management
- Perceived stress
- Post-exertional malaise
- Symptoms
- Telehealth
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Clinical Psychology
- Psychiatry and Mental health