The role of coping in the relationship between depression and illness severity in chronic fatigue syndrome

The self-regulatory model (SRM) proposes that both cognitive and emotional illness representations influence the coping processes adopted in response to an illness.

This study used the SRM to explore the role of coping in the relationship between depression and self-appraisals of illness severity in a population of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS).

The sample comprised 156 participants, 34 men and 121 women, aged between 18 and 78 yrs, who had been medically diagnosed with CFS. Participants were asked to complete three questionnaires: the Cardiac Depression Scale, Ways of Coping Questionnaire, and Severity Subscale of the Illness Perceptions Questionnaire-Revised.

Analyses revealed that almost 70% of the participants were moderately or severely depressed. Additionally, two particular subscales, social support seeking and positive reappraisals, emerged as positively contributing to self-appraisals of illness severity (beta = 0.20 [p < 0.05] and beta = 0.21 [p < 0.05], respectively), thereby supporting the SRM. Furthermore, results indicated that a combination of depression and coping was a better predictor of illness severity than depression alone, accounting for 22% of the variance compared with 8%, respectively.

The findings suggest that focusing on depression, and particularly coping styles, during treatment interventions could have important implications for therapeutic interventions. This could lead to better treatment strategies for health professionals who work with patients with CFS.