van Geelen, Stefan M, Sinnema, Gerben, Hermans, Hubert J M et al. · Clinical psychology review · 2007 · DOI
This review looked at studies examining whether ME/CFS patients have particular personality traits, such as being perfectionistic or hardworking. The researchers found that different studies gave very different answers—some found no personality differences between ME/CFS patients and healthy people, while others reported more serious psychological problems. The authors concluded that more careful research is needed, particularly looking at how patients understand and tell their own life stories.
This review highlights that personality factors may influence ME/CFS—either as predisposing factors or as adaptations to chronic illness—but that the research base remains unclear due to inconsistent methodology. Understanding personality in ME/CFS could improve patient-centered care and help distinguish which psychological factors are primary versus secondary to the disease.
This review does not establish whether particular personality types actually cause or predispose someone to develop ME/CFS, nor does it prove that personality differences observed in patients are inherent rather than adaptations to chronic illness. The heterogeneous findings prevent firm conclusions about the true relationship between personality and ME/CFS.
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
van Geelen, Stefan M, Sinnema, Gerben, Hermans, Hubert J M, & Kuis, Wietse (2007). Personality and chronic fatigue syndrome: methodological and conceptual issues.. Clinical psychology review. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2007.01.010
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-van-geelen-2007-personality-chronic,
author = {van Geelen, Stefan M and Sinnema, Gerben and Hermans, Hubert J M and Kuis, Wietse},
title = {Personality and chronic fatigue syndrome: methodological and conceptual issues.},
journal = {Clinical psychology review},
year = {2007},
doi = {10.1016/j.cpr.2007.01.010},
note = {PubMed: 17350740},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/van-geelen-2007-personality-chronic},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-26. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/van-geelen-2007-personality-chronic
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