Prins, J B, Bos, E, Huibers, M J H et al. · Psychotherapy and psychosomatics · 2004 · DOI
This study looked at how social support affects people with ME/CFS and compared them to cancer survivors, fatigued workers, and healthy people. Researchers found that ME/CFS patients experienced more negative interactions from others and felt less supported than the other groups. Interestingly, cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) reduced negative interactions and improved fatigue, but support groups alone did not help as much.
This study identifies negative social interactions as a previously underrecognized perpetuating factor in ME/CFS illness severity and disability, suggesting that addressing social relationships may be therapeutically important. Understanding that support groups alone do not improve outcomes challenges common assumptions and highlights the differential effectiveness of different psychosocial interventions.
This study does not establish that negative social interactions *cause* ME/CFS or worsening fatigue—only that they are associated with greater severity. The finding that CBT reduces negative interactions does not prove this is the mechanism of CBT's clinical benefit, as CBT involves multiple active components. The results may not generalize beyond the participating populations or reflect what would occur with other types of intervention.
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
Prins, J B, Bos, E, Huibers, M J H, Servaes, P, van der Werf, S P, van der Meer, J W M, et al. (2004). Social support and the persistence of complaints in chronic fatigue syndrome.. Psychotherapy and psychosomatics. https://doi.org/10.1159/000076455
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-prins-2004-social-support,
author = {Prins, J B and Bos, E and Huibers, M J H and Servaes, P and van der Werf, S P and van der Meer, J W M and Bleijenberg, G},
title = {Social support and the persistence of complaints in chronic fatigue syndrome.},
journal = {Psychotherapy and psychosomatics},
year = {2004},
doi = {10.1159/000076455},
note = {PubMed: 15031590},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/prins-2004-social-support},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-28. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/prins-2004-social-support
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