Previous research findings have suggested a relationship between less adaptive emotional functioning and fatigue. The present study used a research design involving multiple baselines across participants to evaluate the efficacy of a new emotion-focused treatment for prolonged fatigue delivered in a cognitive behavioral therapy framework. The 13 adults participating in the study met the criteria for prolonged fatigue and provided fatigue baselines of 2, 5, or 8 weeks. The results indicated that the treatment was effective, with fatigue severity levels after the initiation of treatment significantly lower than that predicted by baseline patterns, as determined by the split median method of trend estimation. At 3—4 months after treatment, 8 of 11 clients who completed the treatment no longer met the criteria for prolonged fatigue.
Bar-On, R. (2000). Emotional and social intelligence: Insights from the Emotional Quotient Inventory. In R. Bar-On & J. D. A. Parker (Eds.), The handbook of emotional intelligence (pp. 363-388). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
2.
Bates, D.W., Schmitt, W., Buchwald, D., Ware, N.C., Lee, J., Thoyer, E., et al. (1993). Prevalence of fatigue and chronic fatigue syndrome in a primary care practice. Archives of Internal Medicine, 15, 2759-2765.
3.
Bazelmans, E., Prins, J.B., Lulofs, R., van der Meer, J.W.M., & Bleijenberg, G. (2005). Cognitive behaviour group therapy for chronic fatigue syndrome: A randomised waiting list controlled study. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 74, 218-224.
4.
Bleijenberg, G., Prins, J., & Bazelmans, E. (2003). Cognitive-behavioural therapies. In L. J. Jason, P. A. Fennell , & R. R. Taylor (Eds.), Handbook of chronic fatigue syndrome (pp. 493-526). New York: Wiley.
5.
Brazelmans, E., Prins, J.B., Hoogveld, S., & Bleijenberg, G. (2004). Manual-based cognitive behaviour therapy for chronic fatigue syndrome: Therapists' adherence and perceptions. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, 33, 143-150.
6.
Brown, R.F., & Schutte, N.S. (2006). Direct and indirect relationships between emotional intelligence and subjective fatigue in university students. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 60, 585-593.
7.
Butler, S., Chalder, T., Ron, M., & Wessley, S. (1991). Cognitive behaviour therapy in chronic fatigue syndrome. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry , 54, 153-158.
8.
Cathebras, P.J., Robbins, J.M., Kirmayer, L.J., & Hayton, B.C. (1992). Fatigue in primary care. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 7, 276-286.
9.
Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioural sciences (2nd ed.). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
10.
Cope, H., David, A., Pelosi, A., & Mann, A. (1994). Predictors of chronic `postviral' fatigue. Lancet, 344, 864-868.
11.
Findley, J.C., Kerns, R., Weinberg, L.D., & Rosenberg, R. (1998). Self-efficacy as a psychological moderator of chronic fatigue syndrome. Journal of Behavioural Medicine , 21, 351-362.
12.
Fisk, J.D., Ritvo, P.G., Ross, L., Haase, D.A., Marrie, T.J., & Schlech, W.F. (1994). Measuring the functional impact of fatigue: Initial validation of the Fatigue Impact Scale. Clinical and Infectious Disease, 18: S79-S83.
13.
Frankish, H. (2001). Some evidence cognitive therapy and exercise benefit chronic fatigue. Lancet, 358, 989.
14.
Greenberg, L.S. (2002). Emotion-focused therapy: Coaching clients to work through their feelings. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
15.
Greenberg, L.S., & Watson, J.C. (2006). Emotion-focused therapy for depression. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association .
16.
Hadzi-Pavlovic, D., Hickie, I.B., Wilson, A.J., Davenport, T.A., Lloyd, A.R., & Wakefield, D. (2000). Screening for prolonged fatigue syndromes: Validation of the SOFA scale. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology , 35, 471-479.
17.
Hersen, M., & Barlow, D.H. (1976). Single case experimental designs. New York: Pergamon.
18.
Hickie, I.B., Hooker, A.W., Hadzi-Pavlovic, D., Bennett, B.K., Wilson, A.J., & Lloyd, A.R. (1996). Fatigue in selected primary care settings: Sociodemographic and psychiatric correlates. Medical Journal of Australia, 164, 585-588.
19.
Krupp, L.B., LaRocca, N.G., Muir-Nash, J., & Steinberg, A.D. (1989). The Fatigue Severity Scale . Archives of Neurology, 46, 1121-1123.
20.
Loblay, R., Stewart, G., Bertouch, J., Cistulli, P., Darveniza, P., Ellis, C., et al. (2002). Chronic fatigue syndrome: Clinical practice guidelines. Medical Journal of Australia, 176, S17-S55.
21.
Mayer, J.D., Salovey, P., & Caruso, D. (2004). Emotional intelligence: Theory, findings, and implications. Psychological Inquiry, 15, 197-215.
22.
Mohren, D.C., Swaen, G.M., Kant, I.J., Borm, P.J., & Galama, J.M. (2002). Associations between infections and fatigue in a Dutch working population: Results of the Maastricht Cohort Study on fatigue at work. European Journal of Epidemiology, 17, 1081-1087.
23.
Neubauer, A.C., & Freudenthaler, H.H. (2005). Models of emotional intelligence. In R. Schultz & R. D. Roberts (Eds.), Emotional intelligence: An international handbook (pp. 31-50). Cambridge, MA: Hogrefe.
24.
Nijs, J., Meeus, M., McGregor, N.R., Meeusen, R., Schutter, G., van Hoof, E., et al. (2005). Chronic fatigue syndrome: Exercise performance related to immune dysfunction. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 37, 1647-1654.
25.
Petrides, K.V., & Furnham, A. (2001). Trait emotional intelligence: Psychometric investigation with reference to established trait taxonomies. European Journal of Personality, 15, 425-448.
26.
Petrides, K.V., & Furnham, A. (2003). Trait emotional intelligence: Behavioural validation in two studies of emotion recognition and reactivity to mood induction. European Journal of Personality, 17, 39-57.
27.
Prins, J.B., Bleijenberg, G., Bazelmans, E., Elving, L., deBoo, T., Severns, H., et al. (2001). Cognitive behaviour therapy for chronic fatigue syndrome: A multicentre randomized controlled trial. Lancet, 357, 841-847.
28.
Ray, C., Jefferies, S., &Weir, W.R. (1997). Coping and other predictors of outcome in chronic fatigue syndrome: A 1-year follow up. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 43, 405-415.
29.
Salovey, P., & Grewal, D. (2005). The science of emotional intelligence. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 14, 281-285.
30.
Schutte, N.S., Malouff, J.M., Thorsteinsson, E.B., Bhullar, N., & Rooke, S.E. (2007). A meta-analytic investigation of the relationship between emotional intelligence and health. Personality and Individual Differences, 42, 921-933.
31.
Sharpe, M., & Wilks, D. (2002). ABC of psychological medicine: Fatigue. British Medical Journal, 325, 480-483.
32.
Surawy, C., Hackmann, A., Hawton, K., & Sharpe, M. (1995) Chronic fatigue syndrome: A cognitive approach . Behaviour Research and Therapy, 33: 535-544.
33.
Thomas, M., Sadlier, M., & Smith, A. (2006). The effect of multi convergent therapy on the psychopathology, mood and performance of chronic fatigue syndrome patients: A preliminary study. Counselling & Psychotherapy Research , 6, 91-99.
34.
Whiting, P., Bagnall, A.M., Sowden, A.J., Cornell, J.E., Mulrow, C.D., & Ramirez, G. (2001) Interventions for the treatment and management of chronic fatigue syndrome. Journal of the American Medical Association, 286, 1360-1368.
