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Anxiety in children with CFS/ME
Esther Crawley1, Linda Hunt, Paul Stallard
1Centre of Child and Adolescent Health, Hampton House, Cotham Hill, Bristol BS6 6JS, UK. esther.crawley@bristol.ac.uk
European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
|May 20, 2009
Summary
Anxiety symptoms are prevalent in children with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME), especially in teenage girls. However, these anxiety symptoms do not appear linked to school attendance or disability measures.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Psychology
- Chronic Illness Management
Background:
- Anxiety symptoms are frequently reported in pediatric Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME).
- Limited data exists on the specific types of anxiety and their correlation with school attendance, disability, or fatigue in this population.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence and types of anxiety symptoms in children with CFS/ME compared to a general European population.
- To examine the association between anxiety symptoms and factors like age, gender, school attendance, fatigue, and physical function in pediatric CFS/ME.
Main Methods:
- Prospective data collection from children and adolescents referred to a specialist CFS/ME service.
- Utilized the Spence Children's Anxiety Scale for 164 pediatric CFS/ME patients with complete data.
Main Results:
- Teenage girls exhibited the highest rates of anxiety symptoms (38%), significantly exceeding the general population's top 10%.
- Separation anxiety and social phobia were notably elevated in younger girls with CFS/ME.
- No significant association was found between anxiety symptoms and school attendance, time to assessment, pain, or age.
Conclusions:
- Anxiety symptoms are common in pediatric CFS/ME, particularly among teenage girls, but are not demonstrably linked to school attendance or disability.
- Separation anxiety and social phobia are the most prominent anxiety types observed in children diagnosed with CFS/ME.
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