Cross-Cultural Study of Information Processing Biases in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Comparison of Dutch and UK Chronic Fatigue Patients

Abstract

PurposeThis study aims to replicate a UK study, with a Dutch sample to explore whether attention and interpretation biases and general attentional control deficits in chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) are similar across populations and cultures.MethodThirty eight Dutch CFS participants were compared to 52 CFS and 51 healthy participants recruited from the UK. Participants completed self-report measures of symptoms, functioning, and mood, as well as three experimental tasks (i) visual-probe task measuring attentional bias to illness (somatic symptoms and disability) versus neutral words, (ii) interpretive bias task measuring positive versus somatic interpretations of ambiguous information, and (iii) the Attention Network Test measuring general attentional control.ResultsCompared to controls, Dutch and UK participants with CFS showed a significant attentional bias for illness-related words and were significantly more likely to interpret ambiguous information in a somatic way. These effects were not moderated by attentional control. There were no significant differences between the Dutch and UK CFS groups on attentional bias, interpretation bias, or attentional control scores.ConclusionThis study replicated the main findings of the UK study, with a Dutch CFS population, indicating that across these two cultures, people with CFS demonstrate biases in how somatic information is attended to and interpreted. These illness-specific biases appear to be unrelated to general attentional control deficits.

Myalgic encephalomyelitis or chronic fatigue syndrome: how could the illness develop?

“…It is interesting that several research teams using functional MRI (fMRI) have noted that cognitive dysfunction worsens in patients with increased effort and/or exercise, as such findings may be of relevance from the perspective of pathogenesis and/or pathophysiology (Cook et al 2017 ; DeLuca et al 2004 ; Lange et al 2005 ; Tanaka et al 2006 ). It is also noteworthy that a recent large study primarily containing participants with CFS confirmed the results of earlier research indicating that there was scant evidence of global cognitive dysfunction in patients diagnosed via alternative criteria (Hughes et al 2018 ).…”

Non-Pharmacological Integrated Interventions for Adults Targeting Type 2 Diabetes and Mental Health Comorbidity: A Mixed-Methods Systematic Review

“…health screening) and thus improved patient health status and health equity [ 77 ]. Additionally, effective user-provider communication via community health workers and trained peers can improve patients’ access to integrated care [ 78 ]. Community workers may be ideally positioned to overcome language and cultural communication barriers and provide a patient-provider linkage [ 78 ].…”

Greater specificity of activity memories in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis: Implications for exercise-based treatment

“…Furthermore, these illness-focused processing biases appear to be independent of depression or anxiety (Hughes et al, 2016b(Hughes et al, , 2017a(Hughes et al, , 2017b or impaired information processing and executive function, such as poor attentional control (Hughes et al, 2017a(Hughes et al, , 2017b. However, attentional control does appear to be lower in at least a subset of the CFS/ME population (Hou et al, 2014;Hughes et al, 2017aHughes et al, , 2017b, in accord with the evidence of impairment in information processing efficiency (Togo et al, 2015).…”

“…The evidence in CFS/ME so far points towards selective attention to health-threat and illness-related interpretation of ambiguous information at the later higher-level information-processing stages of elaboration, reflection and conscious effort (Hou, Moss-Morris, Bradley, Peveler, & Mogg, 2008;Hou et al, 2014;Hughes, Chalder, Hirsch, & Moss-Morris, 2017a;Hughes, Hirsch, Chalder, & Moss-Morris, 2016b;Hughes, et al, 2017b;Moss-Morris & Petrie, 2003) as opposed to the early preconscious stages of processing, where more automatic, quick orientation of attention and initial interpretation of novel information may be taking place (Martin & Alexeeva, 2010). This evidence implies that top-down processing may be taking place, where attentional focus and interpretation of somatic sensations, symptoms, and illness are directed by a higher-level negative illness schema, and that the information is filtered through this schema.…”