Poppe, Carine, Petrovic, Mirko, Vogelaers, Dirk et al. · Journal of psychosomatic research · 2013 · DOI
This study tested whether cognitive behavior therapy (CBT)—a talking treatment that helps change thought patterns and behaviors—improves quality of life in ME/CFS patients. Eighty patients received CBT and reported on their mental health, physical wellbeing, fatigue, and personality traits before and after treatment. While patients did improve, the gains were modest, and the study found that personality traits like neuroticism and how much patients accept their illness affected who benefited most.
This research identifies patient characteristics that may predict CBT response in ME/CFS, which could help clinicians tailor treatment and set realistic expectations. Understanding that acceptance and neuroticism influence outcomes may prompt providers to address these psychological factors before or during CBT to maximize clinical benefit.
This study does not prove that CBT is highly effective for ME/CFS or that it should be a first-line treatment, given the small effect sizes on quality of life. The absence of a control group means we cannot confirm that improvements were due to CBT itself rather than natural recovery, placebo effects, or passage of time. Correlation between baseline characteristics and improvement does not establish causation or explain the mechanisms underlying these associations.
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
Poppe, Carine, Petrovic, Mirko, Vogelaers, Dirk, & Crombez, Geert (2013). Cognitive behavior therapy in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome: the role of illness acceptance and neuroticism.. Journal of psychosomatic research. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2013.02.011
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-poppe-2013-cognitive-behavior,
author = {Poppe, Carine and Petrovic, Mirko and Vogelaers, Dirk and Crombez, Geert},
title = {Cognitive behavior therapy in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome: the role of illness acceptance and neuroticism.},
journal = {Journal of psychosomatic research},
year = {2013},
doi = {10.1016/j.jpsychores.2013.02.011},
note = {PubMed: 23597322},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/poppe-2013-cognitive-behavior},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/poppe-2013-cognitive-behavior
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