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Depression in paediatric chronic fatigue syndrome

Helen Bould1, Simon M Collin, Glyn Lewis

  • 1School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.

Archives of Disease in Childhood
|April 27, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Depression affects 29% of children with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)/myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME). Higher disability, fatigue, and pain are linked to increased depression risk in pediatric CFS/ME patients.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Health
  • Mental Health
  • Chronic Illness Research

Background:

  • Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS)/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) significantly impacts children's lives.
  • Comorbid depression is a concern in pediatric CFS/ME, yet its prevalence and associations require further elucidation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the prevalence of depression in children diagnosed with CFS/ME.
  • To explore the relationship between depression and key clinical symptoms in pediatric CFS/ME, including fatigue, disability, pain, and school attendance.

Main Methods:

  • A cross-sectional survey was conducted using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) on 542 children aged 12-18 years with CFS/ME.
  • Depression was defined as a HADS depression score greater than 9.
  • Data were collected at assessment within a specialist pediatric CFS/ME service.

Main Results:

  • 29% of pediatric CFS/ME patients (156/542) exhibited depression.
  • Univariable analysis revealed associations between depression and female sex, poorer school attendance, higher fatigue, disability, and pain.
  • Multivariable analysis identified disability, specifically lower physical function (SF-36), as the strongest predictor of depression.

Conclusions:

  • Depression is a common comorbidity in pediatric CFS/ME, occurring at higher rates than in the general population.
  • Depression in this cohort is significantly associated with indicators of disease severity.
  • Routine screening, identification, and treatment of depression are crucial for managing children with CFS/ME.
Abstract

Keywords:
Child PsychiatryChronic Fatigue SyndromeEpidemiology

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