Purpose/objective: The DePaul Symptom Questionnaire (DSQ) is a widely used instrument that assesses common symptoms of myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). The DSQ has strong psychometric properties; however, it consists of 99 items, and the energy limitations and cognitive difficulties experienced by individuals with ME and CFS may hinder their ability to easily complete the questionnaire.
Method: The current study examined symptom prevalence and discriminative ability to develop a short form of the DSQ (DSQ-SF).
Results: The resulting short form questionnaire consists of 14 items that were highly prevalent among individuals with ME and CFS. Additionally, the items demonstrated the ability to differentiate individuals with ME and CFS from adult controls and, to a lesser extent, individuals with multiple sclerosis.
Conclusions/implications: The DSQ-SF may serve as an effective, brief screening tool for symptoms of ME and CFS. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).