Psychological Features of Fibromyalgia in the Psychological Health Services.

Abstract

Patients with health pathologies may exhibit psychological features in addition to medical symptomatology. A sample of 76 Italian women with an age range between 23 and 78 years old (mean = 50.22 ± 10.47 years) diagnosed with fibromyalgia (a disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain accompanied by fatigue, sleep, cognitive and mood issues) was examined to identify typical characteristics of their psychological profile. All patients were administered a series of questionnaires, to assess avoidance of physical touch by others; anxiety; depression; risk of developing psychotic disorders; self-criticism and perfectionism; acceptance of chronic pain; general impact of the pathology on their lives, and the predisposition to experience positive emotional states. The scores resulting from this assessment were evaluated against the normative data. Patients with fibromyalgia showed psychological dysfunction in most of the scales administered, with a significantly higher disposition to experience compassion towards others (t = 5.94, df = 75, p < 0.001). A higher risk of psychosis was related with higher levels of depression (B = 0.49, t = 0.20, p = 0.015), poor involvement in daily activities (B = 0.41, t = 0.13, p = 0.002), touch avoidance (especially towards strangers, B = -0.20, t = 0.14, p = 0.01), and overall poor quality of life (B = 0.40, t = 0.16, p = 0.01). This study may broaden the possibility to evaluate psychological features in this clinical population; it may contribute to tailoring psychological care and related treatments in the context of health services.