Psychological factors driving the symptoms of Fibromyalgia

Abstract

Aim: It has been reported that various psychological factors, including stress, associate with the clinical features of fibromyalgia. This project proposed that a top down process, comprising of a number of contributing psychological factors, plays a pivotal role in the establishment of fibromyalgia. The project specifically examined whether a number of psychological factors would contribute significantly to the core clinical features of fibromyalgia, and if so whether these psychological factors would modulate this relationship. Stress was also examined to see if it is the necessary link in the pathway between certain key fibromyalgia symptoms and these psychological factors. Finally, which are the key psychological factors that drive the proposed top down process and are the likely link between these psychological elements and the core clinical features of fibromyalgia. Methods: 98 females with ACR 1990 classified fibromyalgia, and 35 healthy control women were identified. A battery of applied questionnaires including the Big 5 Personality Inventory, Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire [FIQ], Profile of Mood States [POMS], Perceived Control of Internal States scale [PCIOSS], Perceived Stress scale and Mastery scale were completed by all participants. Using statistical program, SPSS (PASW versions 18-22), tests including t tests, means, standard deviations, one-way ANOVA, bivariate correlations and multiple regression analysis were completed to explore differences between symptom characteristics, the phenotypic characteristics and potential mediating factors. Further analysis using structural equation modelling followed to examine the effect of stress on the relationships between psychological factors and the phenotype of fibromyalgia. Results: The results of the analyses, reported in seven published articles, showed significant relationships between the key psychological variables and the phenotype of fibromyalgia. Perceived stress was found to have the highest association between all examined psychological factors and also the components of fibromyalgia (p