Psychosocial Nursing Diagnoses of Individuals With Myalgic Encephalomyelitis-Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Descriptive Study.

The sample was self-selected from one patient association, and only 48 participants completed the entire form, not the planned 160. The participation rate was 22.7%, so members who did not respond may have had different energy levels or experiences. All clinical information was self-reported, including the ME/CFS diagnosis and comorbidities. The psychosocial labels were generated by a questionnaire and are provisional hypotheses that need nurse verification in a clinical assessment interview. The design was cross-sectional, so it cannot show that symptoms, diagnosis duration or comorbidities caused the psychosocial profiles. The multivariate label analysis used many variables in a small sample, which the authors say can overfit and make patterns less reliable. The participants were mostly women and highly educated, which may not represent people with ME/CFS in clinics or less severe cases.

The authors declared no conflicts of interest.

Do not read the questionnaire labels as confirmed nursing diagnoses or as proof that ME/CFS causes psychosocial problems. They were provisional hypotheses from 48 self-selected association members, and the study cannot separate cause and effect.