Psychological Flexibility Is Key for Reducing the Severity and Impact of Fibromyalgia

Abstract

Fibromyalgia has a significant impact on the lives of patients; symptoms are influenced by psychological factors, such as psychological flexibility and catastrophizing. The objective of this study was to determine the importance of these variables in moderating the association between the severity and impact of fibromyalgia symptoms. A total of 187 patients from a general hospital population were evaluated using the Combined Index of Severity of Fibromyalgia (ICAF), the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ), the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II (AAQ-II), and the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS). A series of multiple regression analyses were carried out using the PROCESS macro and decision tree analysis. The results show that psychological flexibility modulates the relation between severity and the impact of fibromyalgia symptoms. Catastrophism has residual importance and depends on the interaction with psychological flexibility. Interaction occurs if the severity of the disease is in transition from a mild to a moderate level and accounts for 40.1% of the variance in the sample. These aspects should be considered for evaluation and early intervention in fibromyalgia patients.

Intervenciones psicológicas para el tratamiento de la fibromialgia: una revisión narrativa

“…Sin embargo, este enfoque parece aumentar la tolerancia al dolor a través del papel mediador de la flexibilidad psicológica, esto es, darnos permiso para entrar en contacto con aquellos eventos privados que nos producen malestar (p.e., la experiencia de dolor). Por tanto, el trabajo en ACT se centra en apoyar la apertura a tener experiencias dolorosas, a aceptarlas y a hacer los cambios necesarios para crear una vida significativa (Vallejo et al, 2021).…”

Which outcome variables are associated with psychological inflexibility/flexibility for chronic pain patients? A three level meta-analysis

“…It is worth noting that different results also appeared for the same relationship between outcome variables, such as the relationship between psychological flexibility and pain severity. For example, one study (Allen et al, 2018 ) showed that the correlation coefficient of psychological flexibility and pain severity was not significant, while in another study, the effect size tended to be large (Vallejo et al, 2021 ).…”

Coping and Beliefs as Predictors of Functioning and Psychological Adjustment in Fibromyalgia Subgroups

“…For example, catastrophizing about the pain, exaggerating its threat value, and believing that there is nothing that one can do to deal with the situation (e.g., low self-efficacy) are likely to lead to maladaptive coping efforts (e.g., avoidance and impulsive solutions). On the contrary, perceiving that one has some control over the situation (i.e., the pain), that there is no need to escape it, and being willing to experience pain is generally associated with more adaptive, flexible, and rational coping [ 16 , 34 – 36 ].…”