Taylor, R R, Jason, L A · The Journal of nervous and mental disease · 2001 · DOI
This study looked at whether childhood abuse (sexual or physical) was more common in adults with ME/CFS compared to healthy people. Researchers surveyed a random sample from the community and found that while abuse history was linked to other types of chronic fatigue conditions, it was actually less common in people diagnosed with ME/CFS specifically. This finding contradicts earlier suggestions that most ME/CFS patients have experienced childhood abuse.
This study challenges the prevailing assumption in the early 2000s that childhood abuse is a common precursor to ME/CFS, suggesting instead that ME/CFS may have different etiological pathways than other chronic fatigue conditions. Understanding which factors do and do not predict ME/CFS specifically helps refine diagnostic clarity and avoids stigmatizing patients by incorrectly attributing their illness to psychological trauma.
This study does not prove that abuse cannot contribute to ME/CFS in any individuals, only that it is not a significant statistical predictor at the group level. The cross-sectional design cannot establish causation or temporal relationships. Additionally, self-reported abuse history is subject to recall bias and may underestimate true prevalence, particularly if trauma disclosure is influenced by shame or memory limitations.
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
Taylor, R R & Jason, L A (2001). Sexual abuse, physical abuse, chronic fatigue, and chronic fatigue syndrome: a community-based study.. The Journal of nervous and mental disease. https://doi.org/10.1097/00005053-200110000-00008
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-taylor-2001-sexual-abuse,
author = {Taylor, R R and Jason, L A},
title = {Sexual abuse, physical abuse, chronic fatigue, and chronic fatigue syndrome: a community-based study.},
journal = {The Journal of nervous and mental disease},
year = {2001},
doi = {10.1097/00005053-200110000-00008},
note = {PubMed: 11708672},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/taylor-2001-sexual-abuse},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-29. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/taylor-2001-sexual-abuse
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