| dc.description.abstract | Balanz is a newly found course for treating youngsters who suffer from a medically unexplained disease like Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS). The objective of the course is to teach the course-takers how to take renewed control over their body and feelings so that they will again be able to take part in society. The main question of this study is whether the course leads to a significant decrease in fatigue that will last for over a year. Based upon previous research it is hypothesized that this decrease is fatigue will be found. Furthermore the role of self-efficacy and self-esteem in the effectiveness of the course will be examined. It is hypothesized that self-efficacy as well as self-esteem will increase during the course and this increase will last for over a year. It is also expected that course-takers who score high on self-efficacy or self-esteem at the start of the course, will show a greater decrease in fatigue when being compared with course-takers who score low on self-efficacy or self-esteem (interaction). Finally a possible mediation between self-efficacy or self-esteem, and the effect of the course in the decrease in fatigue, will be studied. It is hypothesized that the effectiveness of the course, at least partly, will be reached through an increase in the degree of self-efficacy or self-esteem.
The research has been conducted among all 70 course-takers diagnosed with CFS (64 females, mean age 16.6 and 6 males, mean age 15.7). They were asked to fill out three questionnaires on fatigue, self-efficacy and self-esteem at four moments during approximately one year. The first moment of data-collection for every course-taker was at the start of the course (T1). The second measurement took place at the end of the course (T2), 14 – 16 weeks after the start. The third (T3) and fourth (T4) measurements took place at respectively half a year and a year after finishing the course.
Results show that, as expected, the degree of fatigue decreases significantly due to taking part in the course, and this decrease of fatigue lasts for over a year. Furthermore both the course-taker’s self-efficacy and self-esteem increase significantly during the course and this increase also lasts for over a year. However, no interaction-effect was found between the course-takers level of self-efficacy or self-esteem at the start of the course (T1) and the decrease in fatigue. Finally, some evidence for a possible partial mediating effect of both self-efficacy and self-esteem was found. However, any certainty in the matter of mediation is beyond the range of this study. Based on these results it can be concluded that taking part in the course Balanz is likely to decrease fatigue and increase both self-efficacy and self-esteem in female youngsters who are diagnosed with CFS. However several methodological issues must be taking into account when drawing this conclusion. One major issue is that this study did not include a control group, so all conclusions drawn from this study must take this fact into consideration. | |
