Table 1

Table of included studies

Participant characteristics
StudyCountrySettingCFS/ME diagnostic criteriaNumber of participantsAge range (years)Males/femalesIllness durationAimData collectionData analysis
Jelbert et al47UKOutpatient clinicNone specified.
Clinical diagnosis of CFS/ME
513–181:41.5–2 yearsRecovered adolescent experiences of CFS/MESemistructured interviewsInterpretative phenomenological analysis
Fisher and Crawley48UKOutpatient clinicNone specified.
Clinical diagnosis of CFS/ME. Above the 90th percentile cut-off on SCAS Scale
1112–182:9NSAnxious young people's experiences of CFS/MEInterviewsInterpretative phenomenological analysis
Hareide et al54NorwayHospitalModified version of the CDC criteria—3 rather than 6 months duration of fatigue912–17NS2.5 yearsIllness beliefs and coping strategies among adolescents with CFS/MESemistructured interviewsThematic analysis
Winger et al51NorwayHospital and primary care3 months of unexplained fatigue (RCPCH and NICE)1712–185:12NSExperience of being an adolescent with CFS/MEIn-depth interviewsPhenomenological hermeneutical design
Beasant et al55UKSpecialist CFS/ME serviceNICE 2007. Mild to moderately affected1212–183:99–18 monthsExperiences of adolescents and families accessing a specialist serviceIn-depth interviewsThematic analysis
Crix et al46UKHospitalNone specified.
Clinical diagnosis of CFS/ME
1160:11–2 yearsHow members of one family define and understand a contested diagnosis through talkFamily interviewDiscourse analysis
Ashby et al49UKCAMHSNone specified.
Clinical diagnosis of CFS/ME
108–163:73 months–2 yearsService users’ perceptions of the treatment they receivedSemistructured interviewsNone specified
Patel52UKSpecialist CFS/ME serviceNICE 2007, mild to moderately affected (not housebound)78–165:2NSIllness domains that are important to young people with CFS/ME and their parentsSemistructured interviews
Focus group with three mothers
Thematic analysis
Williams-Wilson53UKSpecialist CFS/ME serviceClinical diagnosis of CFS/ME811–182:6NSPersonal experiences of young people with CFS/MEOpen-ended interviewsThematic analysis
Lombard50South AfricaThrough medical doctorsCDC2172:0NSDescription of living with CFS/ME to create guidelinesInterviews, document analysis and observationPhenomenology
  • CAMHS, child and adolescent mental health service; CFS/ME, chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis; NS, not stated; RCPCH, Royal College of Paediatrics & Child Health; SCAS, Spence Children's Anxiety Scale.