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Resilience of participants with fibromyalgia had a stronger protective association among participants with average null or mild pain than with moderate or severe pain.
In a new study, resilience in patients with fibromyalgia was associated with a decrease of average pain and the degree of interference of pain, but not with average pain scores.1
Fibromyalgia affects 4 million US adults, causing pain all over the body.2 The condition also may lead to sleep problems and fatigue. Resilience serves as a coping resource for patients with fibromyalgia to manage the pain, allowing individuals to live with chronic pain and still experience positive emotions and maintain a higher level of functioning.3 Other ways individuals with fibromyalgia may cope with pain is pain relievers, antidepressants, the seizure medication anticonvulsants (pregabalin), yoga, acupuncture, and physical therapy. Meanwhile, vitamin D and exercise can help with fibromyalgia fatigue.4 Studies also revealed cannabis treatment and aerobic and resistance exercise could help subdue fibromyalgia pain.5,6
The study, led by Livia Teixeira, PhD, of the department of surgical specialties and anesthesiology at Botucatu Medical School, Sao Paulo State University, in Botucatu, Brazil, sought to find the relationship between resilience, pain, and functionality in people with fibromyalgia.1
“Our results provide evidence against beliefs that the pain of people with fibromyalgia is related to low psychological resilience and shed light on the complex interrelationships between resilience, pain, and functionality,” the investigators wrote.
The team conducted a cross-sectional online survey, selecting 2176 participants from Brazilian fibromyalgia virtual support groups on Facebook in May 2018. They evaluated resilience by the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale and assessed average pain and the degree of interference of pain in the lives of participants using the Brief Pain Inventory. The investigators evaluated the relationships through a multivariable robust linear regression and adjusted for 21 potential confounders.
Teixeira and colleagues found resilience was associated with a decreased average pain and the degree of interference of pain (β, -0.38; 95% CI, - 0.54 to -0.22; P <.001). On the other hand, resilience was not associated with a decrease in average pain scores (β, -0.01; 95% CI, -0.18 to 0.16; P = .93)
The findings demonstrated resilience had a stronger protective association among participants with average null or mild pain than with moderate or severe pain.
“This research signals both the relevance and limits of resilience in the management of fibromyalgia,” the investigators wrote. “Future studies evaluating behavioral interventions for fibromyalgia should consider how those interventions interact with baseline pain levels and resilience.”
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