Tom Roovers, Ilse A C Vermeltfoort, Jos W Widdershoven, Willem J Kop
{"title":"Association of Emotional States With Heart Rate Variability in Patients With Suspected Ischemic Heart Disease: Relevant to Cardiac Symptoms During Daily Life.","authors":"Tom Roovers, Ilse A C Vermeltfoort, Jos W Widdershoven, Willem J Kop","doi":"10.1097/PSY.0000000000001508","DOIUrl":"10.1097/PSY.0000000000001508","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Autonomic nervous system dysregulation has been linked to cardiovascular disease risk. Both long-term and short-term emotional distress have also been associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes. However, the relationship between acute emotional states and autonomic regulation in patients with ischemic heart disease remains unclear. This study examines the association between in-the-moment emotional states with short-term heart rate variability (HRV) indices of autonomic activity and their contribution to cardiac symptoms during daily life activities.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Patients referred for diagnostic myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) for inducibility of myocardial ischemia underwent 24-hour ecological momentary assessments (EMA) of emotional states and cardiac symptoms using electronic diaries through their mobile phones. Ambulatory ECG-based HRV indices (repeated 10-min epochs and 24 h) were matched with the EMA assessments. Associations were analyzed using General Estimation Equation models.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 175 EMA assessments were obtained in 26 patients [mean age = 66.5 (9.3) y, 7 (26.9%) women]. Negative emotional states were associated with HRV indices (lower SD of normal-to-normal intervals and low-frequency power) and higher heart rate. Negative emotional states were associated with anginal complaints [B = 0.167 (95% CI = 0.067; 0.268), p < .001] and shortness of breath [B = 0.136 (95% CI = 0.071; 0.202), p < .001]. Lower HRV indices were also associated with these cardiac symptoms. Ischemia during MPI was negatively correlated with 24-hour low-frequency HRV, but not with negative emotions or cardiac symptoms during daily life.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Negative emotions are related to potentially adverse changes in autonomic regulation, contributing to cardiac symptoms. These results highlight the value of in-the-moment emotional states for understanding autonomic dysregulation and cardiovascular symptoms.</p>","PeriodicalId":520402,"journal":{"name":"Biopsychosocial science and medicine","volume":" ","pages":"689-698"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148537978","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Article Summaries for October 2026 Biopsychosocial Science and Medicine , Volume 88, Issue 8.","authors":"","doi":"10.1097/PSY.0000000000001529","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1097/PSY.0000000000001529","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":520402,"journal":{"name":"Biopsychosocial science and medicine","volume":"88 8","pages":"655"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149122537","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Daniel L Argueta, Valentina I Maza, Aaron J Chu, Kelly N Brice, E Lydia Wu-Chung, Vincent D Lai, Jensine Paoletti-Hatcher, Bryan T Denny, Charles Green, Samantha Henry, Luis D Medina, Paul E Schulz, Jennifer Stinson, Brenda Zarazúa-Osorio, Cobi Heijnen, Christopher P Fagundes
{"title":"Attachment Anxiety, Mitochondrial Respiration, and Future Depressive Symptoms in Dementia Spousal Caregivers.","authors":"Daniel L Argueta, Valentina I Maza, Aaron J Chu, Kelly N Brice, E Lydia Wu-Chung, Vincent D Lai, Jensine Paoletti-Hatcher, Bryan T Denny, Charles Green, Samantha Henry, Luis D Medina, Paul E Schulz, Jennifer Stinson, Brenda Zarazúa-Osorio, Cobi Heijnen, Christopher P Fagundes","doi":"10.1097/PSY.0000000000001533","DOIUrl":"10.1097/PSY.0000000000001533","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>This study aimed to assess whether the negative relationship between mitochondrial respiration in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and future depressive symptoms in dementia spousal caregivers is strongest for caregivers high on attachment insecurity.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A sample of 166 dementia spousal caregivers provided self-report data on demographics and health information at baseline, and depressive symptoms at baseline and 7 months later. We also determined mitochondrial respiration in PBMCs at baseline only. We conducted multiple linear regressions, adjusting for demographic and health-related covariates and baseline depressive symptoms.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The interaction between mitochondrial spare respiratory capacity and attachment anxiety predicted future depressive symptoms (b=-1.11, P=.016). Spare respiratory capacity only predicted future depressive symptoms at mean and high levels of attachment anxiety.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Altered mitochondrial respiration may contribute to depressive symptom expression for dementia spousal caregivers who display high levels of attachment anxiety.</p>","PeriodicalId":520402,"journal":{"name":"Biopsychosocial science and medicine","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149077136","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sarah T Stahl, Peter Franzen, Swathi Gujral, Katalin Szanto
{"title":"Protocol for a Digital Health Intervention to Improve Behavioral Rhythms and Social Connectedness for Reducing Suicide Risk Among Older Bereaved Marital Partners.","authors":"Sarah T Stahl, Peter Franzen, Swathi Gujral, Katalin Szanto","doi":"10.1097/PSY.0000000000001532","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1097/PSY.0000000000001532","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The death of a spouse in late life is associated with a sense of social disconnection, lack of engagement in pleasant activities, and disruptions in daily routines. Bereaved spouses are more likely to die by suicide than non-bereaved spouses yet there are no behavioral interventions designed to reduce suicide risk in this population. We describe the rationale and methodology of the NIMH-funded RISE Study (Rhythms after loss for Improving Suicide risk in bereaved Elders), a single arm clinical trial examining risk and resilience to late-life suicide following spousal bereavement by investigating the extent to which social connectedness and circadian rhythms influence suicide risk.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We will enroll 169 recently bereaved (≤12 mo post-death) adults aged 60 years and older who currently have at least subthreshold symptoms of depression or have a history of depression and/or suicide attempt. All participants will complete repeated assessments over 12 months of multiple dimensions of social connectedness, clinical assessments of depression and suicidal ideation, and actigraphic assessments of 24-hour rest/activity rhythms. Participants also complete a 3-month behavioral probe, designed to directly target and increase social activity and more regular sleep-wake cycles in older bereaved adults.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>RISE findings will inform the development of scalable technology-based suicide prevention programs by determining the extent to which social connectedness and behavioral rhythms are modifiable and if doing so reduces depression severity and suicide risk in older bereaved adults.</p><p><strong>Clinical trials identifier: </strong>NCT06191484.</p>","PeriodicalId":520402,"journal":{"name":"Biopsychosocial science and medicine","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149026830","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Michael A Hoyt, Karen Llave, Marcie D Haydon, Zixia Wang, Michael Chang, Raymond Carillo Ceja
{"title":"Windows into Stress Biology: A Protocol Comparing Plasma, Saliva, and Oral Mucosal Transudate Biomarkers of Stress and Inflammation.","authors":"Michael A Hoyt, Karen Llave, Marcie D Haydon, Zixia Wang, Michael Chang, Raymond Carillo Ceja","doi":"10.1097/PSY.0000000000001530","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1097/PSY.0000000000001530","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>As biopsychosocial research has moved toward non-invasive alternatives to venipuncture, questions remain: to what extent measurements of the same biomarker agree across biological matrices, and does that agreement hold at rest, under acute stress, and across analytes? Plasma reflects systemic circulating concentrations; whole saliva is shaped by autonomic activity and local oral biology; and oral mucosal transudate (OMT), a serum-derived filtrate, occupies a physiologically intermediate position. Each matrix may reflect a distinct signal, and differences may not be uniform across analytes or stress contexts.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This protocol describes a within-subjects, single-session study enrolling 150 healthy adults. Following a rest period and baseline collection, participants complete the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), after which biospecimens are collected a second time from plasma (venipuncture), saliva (Salivette and passive drool), and OMT (OraSure swab). IL-6, CRP, IL-1ra, sTNFαR2, cortisol, and uric acid are assayed across all three matrices, and alpha-amylase in saliva and OMT only. Participants complete self-report measures of affect, depressive symptoms, anxiety, perceived stress, sleep quality, and neuroticism. Concordance is evaluated via correlations, intraclass correlation coefficients, and Bland-Altman analyses, with psychosocial-biomarker associations compared across matrices.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>Concordance is hypothesized to be strongest for cortisol, modest for inflammatory markers, and largely unknown for uric acid and alpha-amylase. Plasma increases are expected to be accompanied by proportional oral fluid changes, most reliably for cortisol, with psychosocial correlates broadly comparable across matrices. This is the first three-matrix comparison under resting and acute stress, informing responsible use of non-invasive collection in biopsychosocial research.</p>","PeriodicalId":520402,"journal":{"name":"Biopsychosocial science and medicine","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149027037","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Early Life Adversity and Cardiovascular Responses to Stress During Tobacco Ad Libitum Use and Withdrawal.","authors":"Ken Kurisu, Tracey M Keogh, Mustafa al'Absi","doi":"10.1097/PSY.0000000000001531","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1097/PSY.0000000000001531","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Early life adversity (ELA) is associated with substance use initiation and maintenance, including tobacco use. However, its influence on cardiovascular responses to psychological stress among tobacco smokers remains unclear. This study explored this association among ad libitum and abstinent smokers.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Smokers were randomly assigned to an ad libitum (n=49) or 24-h withdrawal (n=69) group, and non-smokers (n=45) participated in the study. They completed two separate but identical sessions. Each session included speech preparation, speech delivery, and a mental arithmetic task. Systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and heart rate (HR) were repeatedly measured during each session. Linear mixed-effects models were applied to analyze the relationship between ELA and cardiovascular responses across sessions and phases.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>In the linear mixed-effects model for SBP, the overall group × ELA interaction was significant (P=0.006). The effect of having ≥1 ELA event on SBP changes in the withdrawal group was significantly greater than that in non-smokers (fixed effect = 3.89; 95% CI = 1.41 to 6.36; P=0.002). Similar findings were also observed for DBP and HR.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Results suggest that individuals with ELA exposure show heightened cardiovascular reactivity to acute stress during nicotine withdrawal, compared with those without ELA. They highlight the potential role of ELA in shaping stress-related physiological vulnerability during tobacco cessation efforts.</p>","PeriodicalId":520402,"journal":{"name":"Biopsychosocial science and medicine","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149027456","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Alexandra Hillcoat, Arielle A J Scoglio, Kelsey N Serier, Andrea L Roberts, Karestan C Koenen, Yang-Yu Liu, Jakob Hartmann, Laksana Rachman, Laura D Kubzansky
{"title":"Psychological Resilience to Trauma and Risk of Metabolic Syndrome in Women.","authors":"Alexandra Hillcoat, Arielle A J Scoglio, Kelsey N Serier, Andrea L Roberts, Karestan C Koenen, Yang-Yu Liu, Jakob Hartmann, Laksana Rachman, Laura D Kubzansky","doi":"10.1097/PSY.0000000000001524","DOIUrl":"10.1097/PSY.0000000000001524","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Previous research suggests an association between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and metabolic syndrome (MetS) but has not disentangled effects of trauma exposure, PTSD, and psychological resilience following trauma. This study investigated risk of MetS by psychological resilience following trauma exposure.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Data are from 42,425 women in the Nurses' Health Study II who completed a survey in 2008 evaluating PTSD symptoms, psychological distress, facets of positive psychological well-being (PWB), and a broad range of covariates. Psychological resilience to trauma was characterized as: resilient (no PTSD and high positive PWB), coping without thriving (no PTSD and low positive PWB), and PTSD, with a no trauma control group. Probable MetS was derived using data on weight, height, diagnosed hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes, and medication use from biennial surveys between 1989-2019. Time to probable MetS was approximated as the return date of the first questionnaire at which 3+ probable MetS criteria were met.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Proportional hazards models adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics indicated that, relative to women with no trauma, women categorized as having PTSD (aHR=1.34 [1.05, 1.71]) or as coping without thriving (aHR=1.29 [1.03, 1.62]) experienced a greater hazard of developing MetS, whereas resilient women experienced a similar hazard of developing MetS (aHR=1.06 [0.84, 1.34]). Results remained similar after adjusting for health behaviors and antidepressant use.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Future research on trauma and MetS should consider varied trauma responses and assess if interventions that not only reduce psychological distress but also promote PWB could mitigate MetS risk.</p>","PeriodicalId":520402,"journal":{"name":"Biopsychosocial science and medicine","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13662864/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149019440","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ryan Hogan, Nevena Chuntova, Inès Ait Abdelmalek, Karine Lavallée-Rodrigue, Emma-Rose Thériault, Ziad Guenoun, Jasmine Boulette, Vasilisa Coveny, Azul Castillo-Nehme, Samuel Massicotte, Laurianne Gauthier, Dominique Savard, Aral Tunc, Julie Lecours Leclair, Florence Mechawar, Ioana Cotocea, Silke Jacmin-Park, Stéphanie Borduas-Pagé, Robert Paul Juster
{"title":"Stress and Resilience Study (STARS) Protocol: A Multimethod Investigation of Minority Stress, Allostatic Load and Cognition in LGBTQ+ Adults.","authors":"Ryan Hogan, Nevena Chuntova, Inès Ait Abdelmalek, Karine Lavallée-Rodrigue, Emma-Rose Thériault, Ziad Guenoun, Jasmine Boulette, Vasilisa Coveny, Azul Castillo-Nehme, Samuel Massicotte, Laurianne Gauthier, Dominique Savard, Aral Tunc, Julie Lecours Leclair, Florence Mechawar, Ioana Cotocea, Silke Jacmin-Park, Stéphanie Borduas-Pagé, Robert Paul Juster","doi":"10.1097/PSY.0000000000001528","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1097/PSY.0000000000001528","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) people face significant stigma, a structural and social determinant of health that contributes to persistent health disparities. Minority stress theory proposes that both proximal and distal stressors adversely impact health and well-being, while protective factors act as buffers. This study aims to identify mechanisms through which minority stress and protective factors influence physical and mental health in LGBTQ+ adults and to determine whether these processes differ across subgroups as well as in comparison to cisgender heterosexual adults. We hypothesize that greater levels of minority stress will be linked to increased AL, decreased microbiota diversity, and diminished cognitive performance. We further hypothesize that protective factors will moderate these associations.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The cross-sectional design aims to recruit a minimum of 360 participants, including diverse LGBTQ+ and cisgender heterosexual subgroups. Data collection will include psychosocial questionnaires, biomarkers assayed from saliva, blood, and stool samples, and a semi-structured interview assessing medical and health history.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>STARS and the resulting biobank are among the first to integrate psychosocial, cognitive, and multi-system biological measures within LGBTQ+ health research. We will analyze LGBTQ+ subgroups separately rather than as a single heterogeneous population, allowing identification of subgroup-specific risk and protection. Findings are expected to inform the development of targeted, biologically grounded interventions to reduce health disparities in LGBTQ+ communities.</p>","PeriodicalId":520402,"journal":{"name":"Biopsychosocial science and medicine","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149019413","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Raphael A Fraser, Tatiana M Davidson, Rebekah J Walker, Yilin Xu, Alex Yunke, Freshta Masoud, Jennifer A Campbell, Obinna Ekwunife, Leonard E Egede
{"title":"Depression Symptoms and Advanced Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic Syndrome in U.S. Adults: The Moderating Role of Sex.","authors":"Raphael A Fraser, Tatiana M Davidson, Rebekah J Walker, Yilin Xu, Alex Yunke, Freshta Masoud, Jennifer A Campbell, Obinna Ekwunife, Leonard E Egede","doi":"10.1097/PSY.0000000000001527","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1097/PSY.0000000000001527","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>To examine the association between depressive symptoms and advanced cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKM) syndrome among U.S. adults and to determine whether this association differs by demographic, socioeconomic, and behavioral factors.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This cross-sectional study used National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9. CKM stages were defined using the American Heart Association framework and categorized as nonadvanced CKM, stages 0 to 2, versus advanced CKM, stages 3 to 4. Survey-weighted logistic regression estimated odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for advanced CKM. Interaction terms tested effect modification by age, sex, race and ethnicity, poverty-income ratio, education, and smoking status.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The study included 30,244 adults. Overall, 16% of adults had advanced CKM, and 8% had depressive symptoms. In fully adjusted sex-stratified models, depressive symptoms were associated with higher odds of advanced CKM among women (OR, 2.24; 95% CI, 1.74-2.88) and men (OR, 1.75; 95% CI, 1.34-2.28). Interaction estimates indicated a stronger association among women (OR, 1.58; 95% CI, 1.12-2.23; P=0.010) and a weaker association at age ≥65 versus 30-49 years (OR, 0.42; 95% CI, 0.27-0.67; P<.001).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Depressive symptoms were associated with higher odds of advanced CKM in both women and men, with a stronger association among women and a weaker association at ages ≥65 versus 30-49. These findings support integrating mental health screening into cardiometabolic and kidney disease prevention strategies, emphasizing age- and sex-specific vulnerabilities.</p>","PeriodicalId":520402,"journal":{"name":"Biopsychosocial science and medicine","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148984603","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Illness Perception as a Key to Understanding Illness Severity in Fibromyalgia: A Cluster-Analytic Approach.","authors":"Raz Preger, Liron Rozenkrantz","doi":"10.1097/PSY.0000000000001526","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1097/PSY.0000000000001526","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Illness perception refers to the cognitive and emotional framework through which individuals interpret and respond to their health condition. It has been consistently linked with a range of health outcomes across various medical diagnoses. This association is particularly relevant in chronic pain syndromes such as fibromyalgia, where the inherently subjective nature of the condition and its susceptibility to psychological factors amplify the role of personal beliefs. While illness perceptions in fibromyalgia have been examined, it remains unknown whether individuals diagnosed with fibromyalgia differ systematically in their illness perceptions, and how such heterogeneity relates to disease severity. To address this gap, the present study aimed to examine whether distinct illness perception profiles exist among individuals with fibromyalgia and evaluate their association with symptom severity and overall health.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Across two independent cohorts, a total of 213 fibromyalgia patients completed the Illness Perception Questionnaire (IPQ), Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ) and Self-Rated Health (SRH). Principal component and clustering analysis were performed to classify patients into different clusters. Additionally, analyses of variance were used to assess differences in disease severity and general health between the clusters.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>In both cohorts, three statistically distinct profiles of illness perceptions emerged. These profiles exhibited significant differences in disease severity and general health.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Illness perceptions are heterogenous among fibromyalgia patients and this heterogeneity carries great relevance to clinical outcomes. Identifying distinct illness perception profiles may inform the development of personalized interventions that target specific cognitive and emotional representations of illness, ultimately improving patients' quality of life.</p>","PeriodicalId":520402,"journal":{"name":"Biopsychosocial science and medicine","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148932386","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}