Pinquart, Martin · Journal of pediatric psychology · 2026 · DOI
This study looked at 1,337 research papers to understand how children with long-term health conditions—including chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS)—experience emotional and behavioral challenges. Children with these conditions had higher rates of anxiety, depression, and behavior problems compared to healthy peers. The study found that parents reported more problems than teenagers themselves did, and that ME/CFS was particularly linked to emotional difficulties.
For ME/CFS patients and families, this study provides robust evidence that emotional and behavioral challenges are common and measurable in children with ME/CFS—not simply a secondary response to illness. These findings support the need for integrated mental health screening and care in pediatric ME/CFS services, acknowledging that psychological distress warrants clinical attention alongside physical symptom management.
This meta-analysis does not establish whether psychological problems are caused by the physical illness itself, result from living with chronic disability, or reflect shared underlying biological mechanisms. It also does not specify which children are at highest risk or define optimal screening and intervention approaches. The analysis is cross-sectional and does not track whether psychological problems emerge before, during, or after condition onset.
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 (2026). Emotional and behavior problems in children and adolescents with chronic physical health conditions: an updated meta-analysis.. Journal of pediatric psychology. https://doi.org/10.1093/jpepsy/jsag007
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-pinquart-2026-emotional-behavior,
author = {Pinquart, Martin},
title = {Emotional and behavior problems in children and adolescents with chronic physical health conditions: an updated meta-analysis.},
journal = {Journal of pediatric psychology},
year = {2026},
doi = {10.1093/jpepsy/jsag007},
note = {PubMed: 41719161},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/pinquart-2026-emotional-behavior},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-26. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/pinquart-2026-emotional-behavior
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