An evaluation of counselling and rehabilitation courses for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

The aim of the current study was to evaluate the services offered by Action for ME to sufferers of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome using measures developed and validated in previous research. Preliminary studies had suggested that clients attending rehabilitation residential courses were benefiting from th...

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Publicado en:Counselling & Psychotherapy Research Vol. 7; no. 3; pp. 164 - 172
Autores principales: Thomas M, Smith A
Formato: research tables/charts Journal Article
Publicado: Wiley-Blackwell Sep2007
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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      dt: Sep2007
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      pub: Wiley-Blackwell
      place: Malden, Massachusetts
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        10.1080/14733140701526294
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        atl: An evaluation of counselling and rehabilitation courses for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
      aug:
        au:
          Thomas M
          Smith A
        affil: Centre for Occupational and Health Psychology, School of Psychology, Cardiff University, UK
      sug:
        subj:
          Counseling Methods
          Encephalitis Education
          Encephalitis Rehabilitation
          Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic Education
          Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic Rehabilitation
          Psychosocial Aspects of Illness
          Self Care
          Attitude Measures
          Chi Square Test
          Descriptive Statistics
          Female
          Male
          One-Way Analysis of Variance
          P-Value
          Paired T-Tests
          Patient Satisfaction
          Pretest-Posttest Design
          Psychological Tests
          Questionnaires
          Short Form-36 Health Survey (SF-36)
          Treatment Outcomes
          Human
          Female
          Male
      ab: The aim of the current study was to evaluate the services offered by Action for ME to sufferers of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome using measures developed and validated in previous research. Preliminary studies had suggested that clients attending rehabilitation residential courses were benefiting from the service. A further, more in-depth evaluation process with a greater number of health-related outcome measures was warranted. In addition, assessment was widened to include other services offered to sufferers of the illness. Data relating to the usefulness and success of the services (rated by the clients) were also collected. Data from client volunteers were collected at baseline (that is, before intervention) and approximately six months later. Quantitative comparative analyses were conducted using within-group comparisons to assess any improvements in scores at six-month follow-up from baseline. Fifty-six participants completed wide-ranging questionnaires assessing illness history, psychopathology, psychosocial factors and health and well-being. Data relating to improvements in illness status and acceptability of treatment were also collected by means of global outcome measures. Both the counselling and residential groups showed improvements in many areas assessed at follow-up. Most importantly, improvements were indicated in areas such as fatigue and the levels of disability suffered by patients. In addition, there were significant improvements in ratings of mood, anxiety, depression and physical symptoms. Overall, clients reported satisfaction with the care received and most found the services useful. All of the participants who completed the evaluation stated that they would recommend Action for ME services to fellow sufferers. The outcome of the current study is encouraging. The data presented provides evidence of the high level of support and advice Action for ME offers to sufferers of this illness. Furthermore, measurable improvements in scores relating to illness status were accompanied by improvements in mental health and psychosocial variables in the patient group.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype:
        research
        tables/charts
        Journal Article
      ougenre: Article
    language: English
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