measurements should be incorporated into psychosocial studies in
addition to self report measures. Psychosocial is defined as of or
pertaining to the interaction between social and psychological
factors- and are found in all diseases. Treatments for ME and CFS at
this time generally only address some aspects of this complex disease.
As noted, symptom relief and/or improvement in some measurements is
not the same thing as a cure. Many treatments, although effective in
some individuals or subgroups, often do not address the primary
aspects of many diseases. It doesn't make them less valuable, it just
means that in and of themselves they are but a small part of an
overall comprehensive approach tailored to the individual.
Rehabil Psychol. 2011 Jul 18. [Epub ahead of print]
The effect of homework compliance on treatment outcomes for
participants with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.
Hlavaty LE, Brown MM, Jason LA.
Abstract
Purpose: This study examined the relationship between level of
treatment engagement through completion of homework on treatment
outcomes within nonpharmacological interventions for participants with
ME/CFS.
Method: A sample of 82 participants with ME/CFS was randomly assigned
to one of four nonpharmacological interventions. Each intervention
involved 13 sessions over the course of 6 months. Change scores were
computed for self-report measures taken at baseline and 12-month
follow-up. Homework compliance was calculated as the percentage of
completed assignments across the total number of sessions and grouped
into three categories: minimum (0-25%), moderate (25.1-75%), or
maximum (75.1-100%).
Results: Findings revealed that after controlling for treatment
condition, those who completed a maximum amount of homework had
greater improvement on a number of self-report outcome measures
involving role, social, and mental health functioning. There were no
differential improvements in physical and fatigue functioning based on
level of homework compliance.
Implications: Findings from this study suggest homework compliance can
have a positive influence on some aspects of physical, social, and
mental health functioning in participants with ME/CFS. It should be
emphasized that these interventions do not cure this illness. The lack
of significant changes in physical functioning and fatigue levels
suggests a need for more multidisciplinary treatment approaches that
can elicit improvement in these areas.
(PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved).
PMID: 21767035 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
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