Psychological characteristics in Fibromyalgia Syndrome
Valentina Miscali, Genni Duse, Lorena Zanus
The aim of this research study is to assess affective, cognitive and sensorial aspects related to the pain
experience in fibromyalgia syndrome, investigating possible differences between fibromyalgia sufferers
and people with other types of chronic benign pain.
The research was conducted on a sample of 84 women (42 with fibromyalgia and 42 with another form
of chronic pain) aged between 25 and 64, who were administered the following questionnaires: the
McGill Pain Questionnaire and the Multidimensional Pain Inventory, to investigate the multifactorial
and multidimensional experience of pain; the BDI-II to assess depressive symptoms, and the STAI-Y
to assess anxiety; the scale Valutazione Rapida dello Stress to evaluate perceived stress; the COPE-NVI
to test coping processes; and the scale Questionario sugli Avvenimenti della Vita to investigate the
experience of stressful events.
The comparison of two groups showed significant differences in all variables considered. The main
results indicated that, compared to other conditions of chronic benign pain, fibromyalgia syndrome
had a greater impact on quality of life. Fibromyalgia pain was more intense, more variable and more
characterised by negative moods, moreover, participants suffering from fibromyalgia were characterised
by greater psychological distress, with higher levels of anxiety, more depressive symptoms and a more
pronounced perception of stress. A result which is certainly relevant was the presence of at least one
experience of physical and/or sexual abuse in the lifetimes of 76.2% of participants with fibromyalgia,
while no participant with other types of pain reported events of this kind. The participants with
fibromyalgia also showed a marked use of avoidance strategies, a low perception of control and a lack
of social support. It was also found that the participants with fibromyalgia reported a higher frequency
of adverse events prior to the onset of the disorder, suggesting that repeated exposure to stressful
events might represent an important risk factor for the development of fibromyalgia syndrome.
Keywords
Fibromyalgia syndrome, Chronic pain, Psychological aspects, Stressful events,
Physical/sexual abuse.
