The development of the chronic fatigue syndrome attitudes test - A psychometric analysis

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is characterized by debilitating symptoms in cluding persistent or relapsing fatigue. As a result of CFS, some individua ls experience significant stigma that is attached to this illness. Many med ical professionals are skeptical of the validity of the illness, and employ ers often fail to appreciate the seriousness of the symptoms. Although nega tive attitudes greatly affect the lives of individuals with CFS, there is p resently no measurement of attitudes toward this illness and people who hav e CFS. The purpose of the present studies was to create a scale that measur es attitudes toward individuals with CFS-the Chronic Fatigue Attitudes Test (CAT)-and to assess the scale's reliability and validity. The 13-item scal e was created using several constructs outlined in the literature regarding negative attitudes toward people with CFS, disabilities, and AIDS. Theoret ical implications of the findings and the utility of the CAT are discussed.