Uncertainty is a common component of the illness experience and can increase the burden of managing chronic illness. The present study examined the role of illness uncertainty in pain coping among 51 women with Fibromyalgia (FM), a chronic pain condition of unknown origin. After completing demographic and illness uncertainty questionnaires, participants underwent 10 to 12 weekly interviews regarding pain, coping difficulty, and coping efficacy. Multilevel analyses indicated that pain elevations in the presence of illness uncertainty predicted increases in coping difficulty. Furthermore, when participants had more difficulty coping, they also had lower levels of coping efficacy. Results are consistent with a model where illness uncertainty accompanied by episodic pain negatively affects coping efficacy, an important resource in adaptation to FM.
KeywordsIllness uncertainty; pain; coping difficulty; coping efficacy; fibromyalgia Uncertainty is a salient issue for many who have been diagnosed with life-threatening or chronic illnesses (Mast, 1995;Mishel, 1999), particularly for those whose illness itself has no known organic cause. One such prevalent condition is Fibromyalgia (FM). FM has been characterized by the presence of widespread and often unpredictable musculoskeletal pain, tenderness, fatigue, stiffness, and sleep disturbance. However, it has also been associated with numerous psychosocial conditions, such as depression, anxiety, and physical and sexual abuse (Wolfe & Hawley, 1999;Wolfe, Ross, Anderson, Russell, & Hebert, 1995). Not only do FM patients have a greater number of comorbid physical and psychological conditions than many other chronic pain conditions, but they also have more difficulty coping with their condition (Zautra, Hamilton & Burke, 1999). Furthermore, because the syndrome is characterized by multiple symptoms with no known organic basis, FM is difficult to treat (MacFarlane et al., 2001;Wolfe & Hawley, 1999). According to a meta-analysis conducted by Rossy et al. (1999), the optimal treatment for FM consists of a combination of nonpharmacological treatments, such as exercise, education, and cognitive-behavioral therapy and medication management for sleep and pain symptoms. Although these treatments may be helpful in alleviating symptoms of FM, they are not always effective and there is variable resolution of symptoms.To further our understanding of the difficulties in adjustment for FM patients, we sought to examine a variable that differentiates FM from other rheumatic diseases. Illness uncertainty has been found to be significantly higher in FM compared to OA patients (Reich, Olmsted, & Van Puymbroeck, in press sense of loss of control, and a perception about one's illness that changes over time (Mast, 1995, Weiner & Dodd, 1993. Mishel defines illness uncertainty as "the inability to determine the meaning of illness-related events (that) occurs in situations where the decision-maker is unable to assign definite values to objects and events and/or is unable to accurately predi...