Long-term outcomes of an integrative rehabilitation program on quality of 
life: A follow-up study.

J Psychosom Res. 2006 Dec;61(6):835-9.

Taylor RR, Thanawala SG, Shiraishi Y, Schoeny ME.

Department of Occupational Therapy, College of Applied Health Sciences, 
University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA.

PMID: 17141674


OBJECTIVE: To assess the long-term effects of an integrative rehabilitation 
program on the overall quality of life of individuals with chronic fatigue 
syndrome (CFS).

METHODS: This study utilized a within-subjects, repeated measures cohort 
design. Twenty-three subjects diagnosed with CFS attended eight sessions of 
an illness-management group followed by 7 months of goal-oriented, 
individualized counseling that occurred once weekly for 30 min per session. 
Quality of life was assessed at five time points (baseline, following the 
group phase, following the one-on-one phase, and 4 and 12 months following 
program completion).

RESULTS: A within-subjects repeated measures ANOVA revealed significant 
increases in overall quality of life for up to 1 year following program 
completion [F(4, 21)=23.5, P<.001].

CONCLUSIONS: Definitive conclusions about program efficacy are limited by 
design issues. However, findings suggest that the program may have led to 
improvement in quality of life for up to 1 year following program completion.