Garralda, M Elena, Rangel, Luiza · Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines · 2004 · DOI
This study compared how much ME/CFS affects children's daily lives compared to other conditions like arthritis and emotional disorders. Children with ME/CFS had more severe problems with school attendance and were more worried about their illness than the other groups. The study found that children with ME/CFS used different coping strategies—they were less likely to solve problems actively and more likely to give up or regulate their emotions when dealing with illness.
This study provides evidence that ME/CFS causes distinctly severe school-related disability in children compared to other chronic pediatric conditions, and identifies characteristic patterns of illness worry and coping. Understanding these patterns can help clinicians recognize ME/CFS in children, inform psychological support strategies, and validate the substantial functional impact patients experience.
This study does not establish whether the coping patterns (e.g., reduced problem-solving, emotional regulation) are causes or consequences of ME/CFS severity. It is also a cross-sectional snapshot and cannot demonstrate how these patterns develop over time or whether changing coping strategies would improve outcomes.
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
Garralda, M Elena & Rangel, Luiza (2004). Impairment and coping in children and adolescents with chronic fatigue syndrome: a comparative study with other paediatric disorders.. Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.2004.00244.x
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-garralda-2004-impairment-coping,
author = {Garralda, M Elena and Rangel, Luiza},
title = {Impairment and coping in children and adolescents with chronic fatigue syndrome: a comparative study with other paediatric disorders.},
journal = {Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines},
year = {2004},
doi = {10.1111/j.1469-7610.2004.00244.x},
note = {PubMed: 15055373},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/garralda-2004-impairment-coping},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-28. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/garralda-2004-impairment-coping
Contribute
Private, reviewed by a human. Not a public comment thread.