Pinquart, Martin, Shen, Yuhui · Journal of pediatric psychology · 2011 · DOI
This large review looked at 340 studies to see whether children and teens with chronic illnesses experience more depression than healthy children. The researchers found that on average, children with chronic illnesses do report higher levels of depression, with ME/CFS showing the strongest link. The study recommends that doctors working with chronically ill children routinely check for depression and refer them to mental health support when needed.
This study provides robust evidence that ME/CFS in children and adolescents is associated with particularly elevated depressive symptoms—the highest among chronic illnesses examined. For ME/CFS patients and families, these findings underscore the importance of integrated psychological assessment and mental health care as part of standard clinical practice. Recognition of this psychological burden may lead to better overall disease management and improved quality of life.
This meta-analysis does not establish whether depression causes ME/CFS, results from living with ME/CFS, or both. The cross-sectional nature of most included studies prevents determination of causality or temporal relationship. Additionally, the analysis cannot explain why ME/CFS shows such a strong association compared to other chronic illnesses.
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
Pinquart, Martin & Shen, Yuhui (2011). Depressive symptoms in children and adolescents with chronic physical illness: an updated meta-analysis.. Journal of pediatric psychology. https://doi.org/10.1093/jpepsy/jsq104
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-pinquart-2011-depressive-symptoms,
author = {Pinquart, Martin and Shen, Yuhui},
title = {Depressive symptoms in children and adolescents with chronic physical illness: an updated meta-analysis.},
journal = {Journal of pediatric psychology},
year = {2011},
doi = {10.1093/jpepsy/jsq104},
note = {PubMed: 21088072},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/pinquart-2011-depressive-symptoms},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-29. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/pinquart-2011-depressive-symptoms
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