Fuchs, Coralie E, van Geelen, Stefan M, van Geel, Rolf et al. · Clinical child psychology and psychiatry · 2013 · DOI
This study looked at how teenagers with ME/CFS and teenagers with juvenile arthritis see themselves and their health. Researchers found that teenagers with ME/CFS tend to view themselves more negatively—focusing on being tired and unwell—while teenagers with arthritis tend to see themselves as strong and healthy despite physical problems. The study suggests that how young people think about themselves during this important developmental period may affect their long-term wellbeing.
Understanding how ME/CFS affects adolescent identity and self-perception is crucial for developing supportive interventions during a critical developmental window. The finding that ME/CFS adolescents emphasize illness-related self-positions suggests psychological support addressing identity reconstruction may be clinically important alongside medical treatment.
This study cannot determine whether negative self-positioning in ME/CFS is a cause or consequence of the illness, nor whether it is specific to ME/CFS versus other chronic conditions. The cross-sectional design means we cannot follow whether these identity patterns change over time or predict long-term outcomes. Results may not generalize beyond the studied population.
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
Fuchs, Coralie E, van Geelen, Stefan M, van Geel, Rolf, Sinnema, Gerben, van de Putte, Elise M, Hermans, Hubert J M, et al. (2013). Health and identity: Self-positioning in adolescent chronic fatigue syndrome and juvenile idiopathic arthritis.. Clinical child psychology and psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1177/1359104512455814
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-fuchs-2013-health-identity,
author = {Fuchs, Coralie E and van Geelen, Stefan M and van Geel, Rolf and Sinnema, Gerben and van de Putte, Elise M and Hermans, Hubert J M and Kuis, Wietse},
title = {Health and identity: Self-positioning in adolescent chronic fatigue syndrome and juvenile idiopathic arthritis.},
journal = {Clinical child psychology and psychiatry},
year = {2013},
doi = {10.1177/1359104512455814},
note = {PubMed: 23060600},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/fuchs-2013-health-identity},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-29. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/fuchs-2013-health-identity
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