Lewis, S, Cooper, C L, Bennett, D · Psychological medicine · 1994 · DOI
This study looked at whether psychological and social factors differ between people with ME/CFS, people with irritable bowel syndrome, and healthy people without these conditions. Researchers examined life stressors, personality traits, how people cope with stress, and their social support systems. They found that while stressful life events were similar across groups, differences appeared in how people handled stress and their personality patterns.
Understanding psychological and social factors in ME/CFS is important because it may help identify modifiable factors that influence illness experience and recovery potential. This early research contributes to the broader scientific conversation about whether psychosocial variables are causes, consequences, or simply associated features of ME/CFS.
This study does not prove that psychological factors cause ME/CFS, as cross-sectional designs cannot establish causation. It also does not demonstrate that addressing psychosocial factors will cure or substantially improve ME/CFS symptoms. The findings represent associations only, and the lack of detailed case definitions for ME/CFS limits generalizability to current diagnostic criteria.
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
Lewis, S, Cooper, C L, & Bennett, D (1994). Psychosocial factors and chronic fatigue syndrome.. Psychological medicine. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0033291700027811
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-lewis-1994-psychosocial-factors,
author = {Lewis, S and Cooper, C L and Bennett, D},
title = {Psychosocial factors and chronic fatigue syndrome.},
journal = {Psychological medicine},
year = {1994},
doi = {10.1017/s0033291700027811},
note = {PubMed: 7991748},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/lewis-1994-psychosocial-factors},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-28. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/lewis-1994-psychosocial-factors
Contribute
Private, reviewed by a human. Not a public comment thread.