Doerr, Johanna M, Jopp, Daniela S, Chajewski, Michael et al. · BMC psychology · 2017 · DOI
This study looked at how ME/CFS patients think about their ability to solve problems and manage their condition. Researchers surveyed 113 people with ME/CFS, 264 with severe fatigue that didn't quite meet CFS criteria, and 124 healthy people. They found that people who didn't feel confident in their problem-solving skills were much more likely to have ME/CFS or severe fatigue. Interestingly, some healthy people also had low confidence, suggesting that mindset alone doesn't determine who gets ME/CFS.
Understanding psychological factors like control beliefs could help develop behavioral interventions for ME/CFS patients. Since current treatments are limited and etiology remains unclear, identifying modifiable cognitive patterns offers a potential avenue for improving patient outcomes and quality of life. This research suggests that psychological support targeting confidence and problem-solving might complement medical management.
This study shows association, not causation—we cannot determine whether low confidence causes ME/CFS or whether having ME/CFS reduces confidence. The cross-sectional design prevents understanding temporal relationships. Additionally, the presence of low-confidence individuals in healthy controls indicates that low control beliefs are neither necessary nor sufficient for ME/CFS diagnosis.
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
Doerr, Johanna M, Jopp, Daniela S, Chajewski, Michael, & Nater, Urs M (2017). Patterns of control beliefs in chronic fatigue syndrome: results of a population-based survey.. BMC psychology. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-017-0174-3
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-doerr-2017-patterns-control,
author = {Doerr, Johanna M and Jopp, Daniela S and Chajewski, Michael and Nater, Urs M},
title = {Patterns of control beliefs in chronic fatigue syndrome: results of a population-based survey.},
journal = {BMC psychology},
year = {2017},
doi = {10.1186/s40359-017-0174-3},
note = {PubMed: 28264716},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/doerr-2017-patterns-control},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-29. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/doerr-2017-patterns-control
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