The soother dimensions of chronic fatigue syndrome and their interactions with mental well-being and symptoms severity.

Abstract

Focusing on soothing dimensions in people with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) may broaden the potential treatments for these individuals with as a final result improvement of treatment. The current study aims to investigate whether and which soother dimensions can be distinguished in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome, whether and to what extent these dimensions are correlated with mental well-being and symptom severity, and whether soothers are able to moderate (buffer) the association between symptom severity and mental well-being. An online questionnaire was used to investigate the mental well-being (RAND SF-36), symptom severity (PHQ-15) and individual scores on 40 soother items of 441 participants, with CFS and fibromyalgia (due to overlap of symptoms and problems). Using a factor analysis to determine said dimensions of soothing. In this study, three dimensions were found, namely Autonomy & balance, Social connectedness & positive mindset, and Alternative soothers. A significant interaction between symptom severity and Autonomy & balance predicting mental well-being was found. The association between symptom severity and low mental well-being was stronger for people with low than high scores on Autonomy & balance. Next to that, higher scores on Social connectedness & positive mindset correlated with better mental well-being. Furthermore, a higher score on Alternative soothers correlated with higher symptoms severity. This study indicates the potential usefulness of two classes of soothers, Autonomy & balance, and Social connectedness & positive mindset, as an antidote against the impact of symptom severity on mental well-being.