Thomas, Roshni, Hughes, Julie, Kotzur, Cheryl · The British journal of occupational therapy · 2024 · DOI
This study looked at how ME/CFS affects the ability of Australian adults to work and participate in daily activities. Researchers surveyed 29 people with ME/CFS about their work, hobbies, and self-care routines using a standardized assessment tool. The results showed that people with ME/CFS experienced significant reductions in activities across all areas of life and reported feeling isolated, trapped, burdened, and disconnected from their former roles.
This research highlights the profound occupational and psychosocial impact of ME/CFS beyond just physical symptoms, demonstrating that patients struggle with identity, independence, and meaningful participation in life roles. The findings suggest occupational therapy could be a valuable intervention to help ME/CFS patients adapt and rebuild engagement in work and daily activities, addressing a significant gap in supportive care.
This study does not establish causation or identify which specific ME/CFS symptoms drive occupational disability. The small sample size (n=29) and social media recruitment bias limit generalizability to all Australian or international ME/CFS populations. The cross-sectional design cannot determine whether occupational losses precede or follow disease onset, or how occupational status changes over disease course.
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
Thomas, Roshni, Hughes, Julie, & Kotzur, Cheryl (2024). What is the occupational impact of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome for adults living in Australia?. The British journal of occupational therapy. https://doi.org/10.1177/03080226241254720
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-thomas-2024-what-occupational,
author = {Thomas, Roshni and Hughes, Julie and Kotzur, Cheryl},
title = {What is the occupational impact of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome for adults living in Australia?},
journal = {The British journal of occupational therapy},
year = {2024},
doi = {10.1177/03080226241254720},
note = {PubMed: 40343209},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/thomas-2024-what-occupational},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-28. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/thomas-2024-what-occupational
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