Assessing symptoms of long/post COVID and chronic fatigue syndrome using the DePaul symptom questionnaire-2: a validation in a German-speaking population
BUNTIC, Nina; Jason, Leonard A.; SCHNEIDER, Jochenet al.
2024 • In Fatigue: Biomedicine, Health and Behavior, 12 (1), p. 72 - 90
Chronic fatigue syndrome; DePaul symptom questionnaire; long Covid; myalgic encephalomyelitis; post-Covid-19-Syndrome; Questionnaire Validation; Medicine (miscellaneous); Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health; Behavioral Neuroscience
Abstract :
[en] Objective: A subset of Covid-19 survivors will develop persisting health sequelae (i.e. Long Covid/LC or Post Covid/PC) similar to Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS). In the absence of a reliable biomarker to diagnose LC/PC and ME/CFS, their classification based on symptoms becomes indispensable. Hence, we translated and validated the DePaul Symptom Questionnaire−2 (DSQ-2), to offer a screening tool for the German-speaking population. Methods: A sample of healthy adults, and adults with ME/CFS and LC/PC (N = 502) completed a reduced-item version of the DSQ-2 and SF-36 questionnaire online. We performed an exploratory factor analysis, assessed construct validity, diagnostic accuracy and compared the symptom profiles of individuals with ME/CFS versus LC/PC versus healthy adults. Results: Exploratory factor analysis revealed a 10-factor solution with excellent internal consistencies. The sensitivity of the DSQ-2 was excellent. The specificity was moderate with moderate inter-rater reliability. Construct validity of the DSQ-2 was supported by strong negative correlations with physical health subscales of the SF-36. A visual comparison of the symptom profiles of individuals with ME/CFS versus LC/PC revealed a comparable pattern. Conclusion: Despite lower symptom severity, individuals with LC/PC reported significantly stronger limitations in general health and physical functioning and were more likely to meet ME/CFS diagnostic criteria with ongoing sickness duration, suggesting that ME/CFS can be considered a long-term sequela of LC/PC. This study offers a translated and validated version of the reduced-item DSQ-2 that can guide medical evaluation and aid physicians in identifying a ME/CFS-like subtype of LC/PC.
Disciplines :
Treatment & clinical psychology
Author, co-author :
BUNTIC, Nina ; University of Luxembourg > Faculty of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences (FHSE) > Department of Behavioural and Cognitive Sciences (DBCS) > Health and Behaviour
Jason, Leonard A.; Center for Community Research, DePaul University, Chicago, United States
SCHNEIDER, Jochen ; University of Luxembourg > Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB) > Medical Translational Research ; Department for Medical Translational Research, Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine, Luxembourg
SCHLESSER, Marc ; University of Luxembourg ; Faculty of Science, Technology, and Medicine, Hôpitaux Robert Schuman, Luxembourg
SCHULZ, André ; University of Luxembourg > Faculty of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences (FHSE) > Department of Behavioural and Cognitive Sciences (DBCS) > Health and Behaviour
External co-authors :
yes
Language :
English
Title :
Assessing symptoms of long/post COVID and chronic fatigue syndrome using the DePaul symptom questionnaire-2: a validation in a German-speaking population
bachelor program in psychology University of Luxembourg
Funding text :
This study was supported by the bachelor program in psychology and the Institute of Advanced Studies at the University of Luxembourg (Research Grant for the project SUMCO ‘Shared Underlying Mechanism of Post-Covid and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome–a psychoneuroendocrinological and psychoimmunological perspective’). Conceptualization, N. B. and L. J.; methodology, N. B., investigation, N. B., formal analysis, N. B., writing–original draft preparation, N. B.; writing–review and editing, L. J, J. S., M. S., and A. S. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
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