Personality profile of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome.

Personality may play a role in the predisposition, the precipitation and/or the maintenance of the CFS. Thirty-six consecutively examined female patients hospitalised for a sleep workup, filled out a Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) questionnaire. A MANOVA compared the patients with a control group of females matched for age. Significant scores were obtained for dimensions such as Harm Avoidance, Reward Dependence, and Self-Directedness. However, the only subdimension of Harm Avoidance that proved significantly higher in CFS than in controls was “Fatigability,” which is likely to overlap with the core CFS symptom. All in all, the personality structure does not appear to play a major role in the CFS.