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A phenomenological study on the lived experience of men with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

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posted on 2023-10-03, 15:51 authored by Gracie Elizabeth Snell, Catherine Heidi Seage, Jenny Mercer

Whilst chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) has been widely researched amongst women, studies investigating how men experience a CFS diagnosis is limited. This study utilised an interpretative phenomenological approach to interview five men who have a medical diagnosis of CFS. Six themes emerged to demonstrate the participants’ experiences prior to, during and after obtaining their CFS diagnosis. Findings revealed that participants were initially reluctant to accept their condition, confounded by their perception that symptoms compromised their sense of masculinity. They also felt that healthcare professionals had limited recognition of CFS leading them to seek social support and legitimisation from other sources. The struggle to come to terms with a different lifestyle and sense of masculinity prevailed. Such knowledge could be effectively utilised by researchers, practitioners and employers to facilitate an increased understanding of male accounts of the condition and more bespoke interventions where required

History

Publisher

Sage

Version

  • VoR (Version of Record)

Citation

Snell, G. E., Seage, C. H., & Mercer, J. (2023) 'A phenomenological study on the lived experience of men with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome', Journal of Health Psychology, 13591053231186385.

Print ISSN

1359-1053

Electronic ISSN

1461-7277

Cardiff Met Affiliation

  • Cardiff School of Sport and Health Sciences

Cardiff Met Authors

Heidi Seage Jenny Mercer

Cardiff Met Research Centre/Group

  • Applied Psychology and Behaviour Change
  • Public Health and Wellbeing

Copyright Holder

  • © The Authors

Language

  • en

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