Baetz, M, Bowen, R · Pain research & management · 2008 · DOI
This study looked at whether religion and spiritual beliefs affect how people experience chronic pain and fatigue, including ME/CFS. Using data from over 37,000 Canadians, researchers found that people who actively practice religion had fewer chronic pain and fatigue symptoms, while those who were spiritual but didn't attend religious services were more likely to have these conditions. People with chronic pain and fatigue often used prayer and spiritual support to cope, and those combining both religion and spirituality reported better emotional well-being.
For ME/CFS patients, this study suggests that spiritual and religious practices may offer psychological benefits and coping resources that complement medical management. Understanding how patients use faith-based strategies to manage symptoms could inform holistic treatment approaches and validate non-pharmaceutical coping mechanisms that many ME/CFS patients already employ.
This study does not prove that religion or spirituality causes reduced pain and fatigue—correlation alone cannot establish causation. The cross-sectional design cannot determine whether spiritual practices protect against these conditions or whether people already suffering seek spiritual support as a result. Additionally, grouping ME/CFS with other chronic pain conditions may not reflect ME/CFS-specific mechanisms.
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 →
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Primary citation
Baetz, M & Bowen, R (2008). Chronic pain and fatigue: Associations with religion and spirituality.. Pain research & management. https://doi.org/10.1155/2008/263751
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-baetz-2008-chronic-pain,
author = {Baetz, M and Bowen, R},
title = {Chronic pain and fatigue: Associations with religion and spirituality.},
journal = {Pain research & management},
year = {2008},
doi = {10.1155/2008/263751},
note = {PubMed: 18958309},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/baetz-2008-chronic-pain},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-28. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/baetz-2008-chronic-pain
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