{
  "abstract": "Background: Post-exertional malaise (PEM) is increasingly understood as a multidimensional deterioration process involving diverse triggers, functional loss, and prolonged recovery. This study developed and initially validated the Vienna Post-Exertional Malaise Assessment Questionnaire (VPEM-AQ), a patient-reported outcome measure assessing PEM manifestations and functional consequences in ME/CFS.\n\nMethods: We conducted a primary psychometric validation study in adults with ME/CFS. The VPEM-AQ assessed crash frequency, exertion thresholds across physical, cognitive, sensory, emotional-social, and orthostatic domains, crash severity, recovery duration, new or additional crash-related symptoms, and pacing behaviour. Analyses included descriptive statistics, floor and ceiling effects, factor analyses, internal consistency, convergent validity with DSQ-PEM and FUNCAP-27, and known-groups validity.\n\nResults: The VPEM-AQ was completed by 1,108 adults; 83.0% female, median age was 46 years (IQR 36–54). The score showed no relevant floor or ceiling effects. Internal consistency was good for the 7-item score (Cronbach’s α = 0.82) and improved in the 6-item version excluding the weaker new-symptoms item (α = 0.87). Confirmatory factor analysis showed mixed fit, indicating that the VPEM-AQ should not be interpreted as a fully homogeneous one-dimensional scale. Convergent validity was supported by correlations with DSQ-PEM (ρ = 0.475; 95% CI 0.425–0.522) and FUNCAP-27 (ρ = −0.680; 95% CI − 0.713 to − 0.643). Known-groups validity was supported across DSQ-PEM quartiles (H = 313.3, p < 0.001) and FUNCAP-27 quartiles (H = 412.5, p < 0.001), although discrimination between the two highest DSQ-PEM quartiles was limited.\n\nConclusions: The VPEM-AQ showed promising but not definitive initial psychometric properties, particularly for multidomain exertion thresholds. Crash severity and recovery duration remain clinically important but require simpler or diary-based formats before scoring.\n\nKey messages: • The VPEM-AQ is a promising new patient-reported tool to assess multidimensional post-exertional malaise in ME/CFS.\n\n• The VPEM-AQ captures the wide variation of post-exertional malaise in ME/CFS, reflecting differences in triggers, severity, recovery, and functional impact.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": "abstract",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 5,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "T Brandl"
    },
    {
      "name": "T Pimminger"
    },
    {
      "name": "A Schwabe"
    },
    {
      "name": "T Waldhoer"
    },
    {
      "name": "A Kapan"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/6vk4zhr0tatwd.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1093/eurpub/ckag169.1100",
  "fulltext_url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13699314/",
  "id": "6vk4zhr0tatwd",
  "issns": [
    "1101-1262",
    "1464-360X"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckag169.1100",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "6. Poster Displays"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "AcademicSubjects/MED00860"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "AcademicSubjects/SOC01210"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "AcademicSubjects/SOC02610"
    ],
    [
      "heading",
      "DB. Chronic diseases, multimorbidity and non-communicable diseases"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2738|Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Research"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7223649620",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13699314/pdf/?tool=EBI",
  "pmcid": "PMC13699314",
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-01",
  "publisher": "Oxford University Press",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/6vk4zhr0tatwd.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:19:57Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13699314",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckag169.1100"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:21:25Z",
      "native_id": "PMC:PMC13699314",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13699314"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "openalex:2738|Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Research",
      "subfield": "psychiatry"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Development and Primary Validation of the Vienna Post-Exertional Malaise Assessment Questionnaire",
  "title_text": "Development and Primary Validation of the Vienna Post-Exertional Malaise Assessment Questionnaire",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:35:55Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/6vk4zhr0tatwd",
  "venue": "The European Journal of Public Health",
  "versions": []
}