Trauma

Childhood Trauma
A study suggesting a role for childhood trauma in ME/CFS used the broad empirical definition of ME/CFS, which resulted in a biased sample with overrepresentation of individuals with depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (Heim et al., 2009). The unusually high proportion of subjects with serious psychiatric problems likely explains the study finding of an association between ME/CFS and adverse childhood experiences.

No other studies have suggested a higher rate of childhood trauma in those with confirmed ME/CFS as opposed to nonspecific chronic fatigue. In a study of 22 Norwegian adolescents with ME/CFS, no participant reported prior sexual abuse (Gjone and Wyller, 2009).