Chau, Tracey, Josev, Elisha K, Scheinberg, Adam et al. · Journal of paediatrics and child health · 2026 · DOI
This study compared 25 adolescents with mild-to-moderate ME/CFS to 25 healthy peers aged 10–19 years, finding that those with ME/CFS reported slower information processing, poorer sleep, lower quality of life, and higher anxiety and depression. Caregivers of adolescents with ME/CFS also reported concerns with attention and working memory. These are early findings from a small Australian sample, and it remains unclear how widely these observations apply to adolescents with ME/CFS in other settings or those with more severe illness.
Adolescents with ME/CFS remain under-studied despite the illness often beginning in this age group. This study provides descriptive data on how cognitive and psychosocial domains are associated with ME/CFS in young people, highlighting the need for developmentally sensitive clinical accommodations and educational support. The discrepancy between adolescent self-report and caregiver observations underscores the importance of multi-perspective assessment in management.
This study does not establish causation or explain why information processing speed is altered in adolescents with ME/CFS. It does not generalise beyond mild-to-moderate cases in one Australian centre, and does not rule out selection bias or confounding factors. It does not demonstrate that cognitive difficulties are a primary feature of ME/CFS or that they persist over time.
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
Chau, Tracey, Josev, Elisha K, Scheinberg, Adam, Thomas, Natalie, McDonald, Fiona, Reveley, Colette, et al. (2026). Clinical Symptomatology, Cognition and Psychosocial Wellbeing in Adolescents With Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study.. Journal of paediatrics and child health. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpc.70587
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-chau-2026-clinical-symptomatology,
author = {Chau, Tracey and Josev, Elisha K and Scheinberg, Adam and Thomas, Natalie and McDonald, Fiona and Reveley, Colette and Gooley, Paul R and Armstrong, Christopher and Knight, Sarah},
title = {Clinical Symptomatology, Cognition and Psychosocial Wellbeing in Adolescents With Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study.},
journal = {Journal of paediatrics and child health},
year = {2026},
doi = {10.1111/jpc.70587},
note = {PubMed: 42764669},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/chau-2026-clinical-symptomatology},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-09-21. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/chau-2026-clinical-symptomatology
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