Elin Strand

Elin Bolle Strand, PhD, is a research psychologist and leads the CFS/ME Centre at Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.

Notable Studies

 * 2016, Assessing current functioning as a measure of significant reduction in activity level"'Abstract - Background: Myalgic encephalomyelitis and chronic fatigue syndrome have case definitions with varying criteria, but almost all criteria require an individual to have a substantial reduction in activity level. Unfortunately, a consensus has not been reached regarding what constitutes substantial reductions. One measure that has been used to measure substantial reduction is the Medical Outcomes Study Short-Form-36 Health Survey (SF-36). Purpose: The current study examined the relationship between the SF-36, a measure of current functioning, and a self-report measure of the percent reduction in hours spent on activities. Results: Findings indicated that select subscales of the SF-36 accurately measure significant reductions in functioning. Further, this measure significantly differentiates patients from controls. Conclusion: Determining what constitutes a significant reduction in activity is difficult because it is subjective to the individual. However, certain subscales of the SF-36 could provide a uniform way to accurately measure and define substantial reductions in functioning.'"
 * The Relationship between Age and Illness Duration in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome"'Abstract:Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a debilitating illness, but it is unclear if patient age and illness duration might affect symptoms and functioning of patients. In the current study, participants were categorized into four groups based upon age (under or over age 55) and illness duration (more or less than 10 years). The groups were compared on functioning and symptoms. Findings indicated that those who were older with a longer illness duration had significantly higher levels of mental health functioning than those who were younger with a shorter or longer illness duration and the older group with a shorter illness duration. The results suggest that older patients with an illness duration of over 10 years have significantly higher levels of mental health functioning than the three other groups. For symptoms, the younger/longer illness duration group had significantly worse immune and autonomic domains than the older/longer illness group. In addition, the younger patients with a longer illness duration displayed greater autonomic and immune symptoms in comparison to the older group with a longer illness duration. These findings suggest that both age and illness duration need to be considered when trying to understand the influence of these factors on patients."
 * Comparing and Contrasting Consensus versus Empirical Domains
 * Examining the Institute of Medicine's Recommendations Regarding Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Clinical Versus Research Criteria
 * Factor Analysis of the DePaul Symptom Questionnaire: Identifying Core Domains
 * Chronic Fatigue Syndrome versus Systemic Exertion Intolerance Disease
 * Effectiveness of a group-based self-management program for people with chronic fatigue syndrome: A randomized controlled trial
 * From chaos and insecurity to understanding and coping: experienced benefits of a group-based education programme for people with chronic fatigue syndrome