Bartholomew, Emerson J, Medvedev, Oleg N, Petrie, Keith J et al. · Journal of psychosomatic research · 2025 · DOI
This study tested whether a common questionnaire called the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) accurately measures anxiety and depression in people with ME/CFS. Researchers analyzed responses from 286 ME/CFS patients and found that the questionnaire works reasonably well, but they discovered that converting the scores into a different format makes the results more precise and reliable for clinical use.
Accurate measurement of anxiety and depression is crucial for ME/CFS patients since psychological distress is common and needs proper assessment for treatment planning. This study demonstrates that the HADS can be used more reliably in ME/CFS populations when scores are converted to a special interval format, potentially improving clinical decision-making and research consistency.
This study does not prove that the HADS causes or contributes to anxiety and depression in ME/CFS, nor does it establish whether the anxiety/depression measured are primary conditions or secondary responses to chronic illness. The study also does not compare the HADS to other psychological assessment tools or determine which measurement approach is best for all clinical situations.
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
Bartholomew, Emerson J, Medvedev, Oleg N, Petrie, Keith J, & Chalder, Trudie (2025). Rasch analysis of the hospital anxiety and depression scale in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.. Journal of psychosomatic research. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2025.112370
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-bartholomew-2025-rasch-analysis,
author = {Bartholomew, Emerson J and Medvedev, Oleg N and Petrie, Keith J and Chalder, Trudie},
title = {Rasch analysis of the hospital anxiety and depression scale in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.},
journal = {Journal of psychosomatic research},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1016/j.jpsychores.2025.112370},
note = {PubMed: 40939313},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/bartholomew-2025-rasch-analysis},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-26. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/bartholomew-2025-rasch-analysis
Contribute
Private, reviewed by a human. Not a public comment thread.