Abstract
The objective of this study is to explore the mediator role of cognitive fusion and chronic pain acceptance on the effects that the walking pattern, following an established clinical guideline for physical exercise, can have on fatigue (physical and mental) in patients with chronic pain. The sample consisted of a total of 231 women with fibromyalgia with a mean age of 56.91 years (Standard Deviation SD = 9.58 years, range 30−78 years). The results show a significant indirect effect of the walking pattern on both physical and mental fatigue through cognitive fusion and chronic pain acceptance. Specifically, walking predicted less cognitive fusion, which predicted greater chronic pain acceptance, which, in turn, predicted less mental and physical fatigue (Beta-B- = −0.04, Standard Error SE = 0.02, 95% Confidence Interval 95% CI = [−0.09, −0.02]; B = −0.09, SE = 0.05, 95% CI = [−0.22, −0,15], respectively). It can be concluded that the walking pattern is linked to both physical and mental fatigue through cognitive defusion and chronic pain acceptance. These cognitive abilities would allow fibromyalgia patients to perceive an improvement in both physical and mental fatigue by carrying out the walking pattern. Emphasizing the training of cognitive defusion and pain acceptance would improve the adherence of these patients to walking.
Highlights
Accepted: 9 December 2021Physical therapy is chosen by health professionals as one of the main interventions to mitigate some of the symptoms associated with fibromyalgia (FM) [1,2]
As the analyses described above show, both cognitive fusion and chronic pain acceptance could be included in the path model; they were included for the mediation analysis
The main objective of this study was to analyze the relationships established between walking [4], cognitive fusion, pain acceptance, and physical and mental fatigue in patients with fibromyalgia
Summary
Accepted: 9 December 2021Physical therapy is chosen by health professionals as one of the main interventions to mitigate some of the symptoms associated with fibromyalgia (FM) [1,2]. It is suggested that to avoid fatigue they establish small breaks Despite all these benefits being known, studies show that women with fibromyalgia do not always perceive an improvement in their physical and/or mental health after doing physical exercise [5,6] and point out this reason as one of the main inhibitors of walking [7,8,9]. Psychological flexibility refers to the ability of an individual to consciously stay in touch with the present moment [10]. This ability is developed from a set of skills that allow us to accurately predict how other mental or behavioral processes will develop.
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