TY - JOUR
T1 - Internet-delivered cognitive behavioural therapy for chronic fatigue among adolescents with a chronic medical condition
T2 - a single case study
AU - Nijhof, Linde N.
AU - Nijhof, Sanne L.
AU - van de Putte, Elise M.
AU - Houtveen, Jan
AU - van Montfrans, Joris M.
AU - Knoop, Hans
N1 - Funding Information: This research was financially supported by two patient associations (“Stichting doorgaan met CVID” and “Koen fonds”) to develop the online treatment portal. Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies.
PY - 2023/5/15
Y1 - 2023/5/15
N2 - BACKGROUND: Severe fatigue is a prominent symptom among adolescents with a chronic medical condition, with major impact on their well-being and daily functioning. Internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy (I-CBT) is a promising treatment for severe fatigue among adolescents with a chronic medical condition, but its effectiveness has not been studied. AIMS: We developed an I-CBT intervention for disabling fatigue in a chronic medical condition and tested its feasibility and effectiveness in an adolescent with an immune dysregulation disorder (IDD), namely juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). METHOD: The application of I-CBT is illustrated through a clinical case study of a 15-year-old girl with JIA and chronic severe fatigue. An A-B single case experimental design was used with randomization of the waiting period prior to start of the intervention. Outcomes were weekly measures of fatigue severity, physical functioning, school absence and pain severity. RESULTS: Fatigue severity significantly decreased following I-CBT. Improvements were observed towards increased school attendance and improved physical functioning following the intervention, but these effects were too small to become significant. CONCLUSIONS: The study provides preliminary support for the feasibility and effectiveness of the application of I-CBT for severe fatigue in adolescents with a long-term medical condition.
AB - BACKGROUND: Severe fatigue is a prominent symptom among adolescents with a chronic medical condition, with major impact on their well-being and daily functioning. Internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy (I-CBT) is a promising treatment for severe fatigue among adolescents with a chronic medical condition, but its effectiveness has not been studied. AIMS: We developed an I-CBT intervention for disabling fatigue in a chronic medical condition and tested its feasibility and effectiveness in an adolescent with an immune dysregulation disorder (IDD), namely juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). METHOD: The application of I-CBT is illustrated through a clinical case study of a 15-year-old girl with JIA and chronic severe fatigue. An A-B single case experimental design was used with randomization of the waiting period prior to start of the intervention. Outcomes were weekly measures of fatigue severity, physical functioning, school absence and pain severity. RESULTS: Fatigue severity significantly decreased following I-CBT. Improvements were observed towards increased school attendance and improved physical functioning following the intervention, but these effects were too small to become significant. CONCLUSIONS: The study provides preliminary support for the feasibility and effectiveness of the application of I-CBT for severe fatigue in adolescents with a long-term medical condition.
KW - adolescent
KW - chronic disease
KW - chronic medical condition
KW - cognitive behaviour therapy
KW - disease activity
KW - fatigue
KW - juvenile idiopathic arthritis
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85152486117&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - https://doi.org/10.1017/S1352465822000716
DO - https://doi.org/10.1017/S1352465822000716
M3 - Article
C2 - 36788703
SN - 1352-4658
VL - 51
SP - 259
EP - 264
JO - Behavioural and cognitive psychotherapy
JF - Behavioural and cognitive psychotherapy
IS - 3
ER -