Nehrke Pamela I, Fox Pamela A, Jason Leonard A
Center for Community Research, DePaul University, Chicago, IL, USA.
Neurology (ECronicon). 2017;7(4):172-178. Epub 2017 Aug 16.
Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) are stigmatizing illnesses characterized by cognitive difficulties, post-exertional malaise, unrefreshing sleep, and other symptoms. Patients are often incapacitated and stigmatized as having a psychological disorder. The Chronic Fatigue Attitudes Test (CAT) assesses stigmatizing views toward individuals with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, however, there is little research examining factors that may account for variation in stigmatizing attitudes toward this group. We examined CAT scores among college age research volunteers (N = 90), hypothesizing that exposure to information about ME and CFS as a result of volunteering on a ME and CFS-related research project would be associated with less stigmatizing attitudes compared to volunteers on unrelated projects. Findings indicated that ME and CFS research volunteers expressed less stigmatizing attitudes. Educational efforts aiming to disseminate accurate information about ME and CFS may mitigate stigma and the experience of stigma among individuals with ME and CFS.
肌痛性脑脊髓炎（ME）和慢性疲劳综合征（CFS）是令人感到羞耻的疾病，其特征包括认知困难、运动后不适、睡眠不能解乏以及其他症状。患者常常丧失劳动能力，并被污蔑为患有心理障碍。慢性疲劳态度测试（CAT）评估了对慢性疲劳综合征患者的歧视性观点，然而，很少有研究探讨可能导致对该群体歧视态度差异的因素。我们调查了大学年龄的研究志愿者（N = 90）的CAT分数，假设参与与ME和CFS相关的研究项目而接触到有关ME和CFS的信息，与参与不相关项目的志愿者相比，会使歧视态度减少。研究结果表明，参与ME和CFS研究的志愿者表现出较少的歧视态度。旨在传播有关ME和CFS准确信息的教育努力，可能会减轻ME和CFS患者的耻辱感以及他们所经历的污名化。
