ArticleClinical child psychology and psychiatry2021
Exploring anhedonia in adolescents with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS): A mixed-methods study.
Article in Clinical child psychology and psychiatry, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Recent research in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome: an evidence map.Health technology assessment (Winchester, England) · 2025Pooled it
- Altered core depressive symptom balance in post-COVID fatigue: reduced depressed mood in an exploratory matched historical-control study.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Article
- The association between adaptability and the symptoms of depression and anxiety in early adolescents: a network analysis in a longitudinal design.BMC psychiatry · 2025Article
- An interpretative phenomenological analysis study of perceptions around factors relating to coping amongst young people with Long Covid and mental health difficulties in the UK.Health psychology openArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundChronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS/ME) may get in the way of enjoying activities. A substantial minority of adolescents with CFS/ME are depressed. Anhedonia is a core symptom of depression. Anhedonia in adolescents with CFS/ME has not been previously investigated.
methodOne hundred and sixty-four adolescents, age 12 to 18, with CFS/ME completed a diagnostic interview (K-SADS) and questionnaires (HADS, RCADS). We used a mixed-methods approach to explore the experience of anhedonia and examine how common it is, comparing those with clinically significant anhedonia to those without.
resultsForty-two percent of adolescents with CFS/ME reported subclinical or clinical levels of anhedonia. Fifteen percent had clinically significant anhedonia. Thematic analysis generated two themes: (1) stopping activities that they previously enjoyed and (2) CFS/ME obstructs enjoyment. Most (72%) of those who reported clinically significant anhedonia met the depression diagnostic criteria. Those who were depressed used more negative language to describe their experience of activities than in those who were not depressed, although the themes were broadly similar.
conclusionsExperiencing pleasure from activities may be affected in CFS/ME, particularly in those who are depressed. Anhedonia may get in the way of behavioural strategies used within CFS/ME treatments.
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