Goodwin, S S · Issues in mental health nursing · 2000 · DOI
This study looked at how 131 couples with wives who have ME/CFS perceived the illness differently. Wives reported more severe physical symptoms (like fatigue, brain fog, and muscle pain) than their husbands noticed, while husbands were more concerned about mood changes. When symptoms got worse, both partners reported more relationship conflict and less emotional support from each other.
This study highlights that ME/CFS affects not only the patient but also the spousal relationship, revealing significant perception gaps between partners that may impact treatment support and psychological outcomes. Understanding these relationship dynamics is important for developing comprehensive care approaches that address both the patient and family system.
This cross-sectional study cannot establish whether symptom fluctuation causes relationship deterioration or whether relationship stress exacerbates symptom reporting. The convenience sampling limits generalizability, and the study cannot determine causality or whether these findings apply to unmarried couples, same-sex couples, or different cultural contexts.
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
Goodwin, S S (2000). Couples' perceptions of wives' CFS symptoms, symptom change, and impact on the marital relationship.. Issues in mental health nursing. https://doi.org/10.1080/016128400247979
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-goodwin-2000-couples-perceptions,
author = {Goodwin, S S},
title = {Couples' perceptions of wives' CFS symptoms, symptom change, and impact on the marital relationship.},
journal = {Issues in mental health nursing},
year = {2000},
doi = {10.1080/016128400247979},
note = {PubMed: 11249354},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/goodwin-2000-couples-perceptions},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-29. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/goodwin-2000-couples-perceptions
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