The association of major life events with chronic fatigue

Objective: Major life events have been associated with the onset of unexplained chronic fatigue (CF) and with variability in illness course. The purpose of this study was to characterize the associations of major life events with illness status over time.

Method: Sentinel measures of clinical status were collected four times over 18 months in a cohort of 99 persons with CF; participants also were interviewed regarding major life events, which were independently rated by observers.

Results: Over time, more major life events attributed to CF predicted a worse clinical course, suggesting that illness-related major life events rather than stressful life events in general are associated with worse clinical status for persons with CF.

Conclusion: This study adds to the literature regarding specific types of life events' relationship to illness course, which has implications for the management of CF.