Ashby, Bernadette, Wright, Barry, Jordan, Jo · Child and adolescent mental health · 2006 · DOI
This study looked at how a community-based treatment program helped young people with ME/CFS and their families. Researchers interviewed teenagers and parents about their experience with an approach that combined physical rehabilitation with attention to both body and mind. The families reported improvements across the key areas addressed, and most valued this collaborative treatment method.
Family involvement and collaborative treatment approaches are crucial for pediatric ME/CFS management, yet evidence on effective service delivery models remains limited. This study provides patient and family perspectives on what makes treatment acceptable and potentially beneficial, which can inform how future services are designed to meet the needs of young people with ME/CFS.
This study does not establish whether the observed improvements were due to the specific treatment components, natural recovery, or other factors—there is no control group for comparison. The qualitative nature and small sample size mean results cannot be generalized to all adolescents with ME/CFS or definitively prove clinical effectiveness. The study also does not address outcomes for families who declined the service.
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 →
The first block is for the primary paper and is the citation you should use in research work. The atlas-snapshot line only applies if you are specifically referring to this atlas’s reading of the paper on the date shown.
Primary citation
Ashby, Bernadette, Wright, Barry, & Jordan, Jo (2006). Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: An Evaluation of a Community Based Management Programme for Adolescents and their Families.. Child and adolescent mental health. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-3588.2005.00383.x
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-ashby-2006-chronic-fatigue,
author = {Ashby, Bernadette and Wright, Barry and Jordan, Jo},
title = {Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: An Evaluation of a Community Based Management Programme for Adolescents and their Families.},
journal = {Child and adolescent mental health},
year = {2006},
doi = {10.1111/j.1475-3588.2005.00383.x},
note = {PubMed: 32811062},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/ashby-2006-chronic-fatigue},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-25. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/ashby-2006-chronic-fatigue
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