Psychological factors in CFS/ME and Insomnia v1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Psychological factors associated with self-reported sleep disturbance in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis and Insomnia
IRAS ID
156785
Contact name
Flora Wilson
Contact email
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 9 months, 30 days
Research summary
The study will compare the experiences of people who have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME), with those of people who have primary insomnia. The aims of the study are: 1) to examine what differentiates the subjective experiences of disturbed sleep and tiredness that are commonly reported in both CFS/ME and in primary insomnia; and 2) to establish whether psychological factors that have been found to be important in primary insomnia are also associated with sleep disturbances in CFS/ME.
Four groups of participants will be compared: 1) Patients with CFS/ME who do not report insomnia, 2) Patients with CFS/ME who report insomnia, 3) Community participants who report insomnia, and 4) Healthy community participants for benchmarking. 25 participants will be recruited to each group. Exclusion criteria will be; having another physical or mental health problem that could account for fatigue or sleep disturbance; having received prior Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) for fatigue or insomnia; and being a non-English speaker. Patients with CFS/ME will be recruited through specialist Chronic Fatigue services.
After receiving full information about the study and giving informed consent, participants will be asked to complete a number of questionnaires regarding their sleep patterns, levels of fatigue and sleepiness, and various cognitive factors associated with CFS/ME and insomnia (e.g. beliefs about sleep, worry, perfectionism). Participants will complete the questionnaires either on paper or online in their own time (25-40 minutes). With consent, the researchers will also access participants' records at the specialist services where they were identified, to obtain scores on questionnaires administered during their service assessment. This will conclude participants’ involvement in the research.
The study will contribute to understanding of, and future development of psychological treatment for, sleep problems in people with CFS/ME.
REC name
East Midlands - Leicester Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/EM/1297
Date of REC Opinion
16 Dec 2014
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion