Densham, Sarah, Williams, Deborah, Johnson, Anne et al. · Journal of psychosomatic research · 2016 · DOI
This study tested whether learning to accept and adapt to difficult experiences—a skill called psychological flexibility—could help ME/CFS patients improve their quality of life. Over 165 patients attended a six-week group treatment program and were measured before, immediately after, and six months later. The program helped improve both psychological flexibility and quality of life, with the benefits lasting at least six months.
This is one of the first studies applying psychological flexibility—a well-established concept in other chronic conditions—to ME/CFS, suggesting that adaptation strategies beyond disease management may improve patient quality of life. For ME/CFS patients seeking multifaceted treatment approaches, this work supports the value of interdisciplinary programs that address both psychological and occupational engagement.
This study does not prove that psychological flexibility *causes* improved quality of life, only that they are associated. Without a control group, we cannot determine whether improvements resulted from the treatment program specifically or from natural recovery, placebo effects, or simply receiving attention. The long-term durability of benefits beyond six months remains unknown.
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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