Personality and coping strategies in fibromyalgia's patients

The aim of this study is to analyze whether different personality profiles according to the harm avoidance (HA) trait, may explain the differences in the use of coping strategies in fibromyalgia patients. The instruments used were the Temperament and Character Inventory-Revised (TCI-R) (adaptation by Gutierrez-Zotes, et al., 2004) and the COPE-D (adaptation by Crespo & Cruzado, 1997). The results show that patients with higher score in HA used coping strategies (emotions focus) and less coping strategies (humor and positive reinterpretation) than patients with lower score in HA. This results support other studies (Affleck, Tennen, Urrows, & Higgins, 1992; Asghri & Nicolas, 2006; Ramirez, Esteve, & Lopez, 2001) that suggest that personality may influence the use of more adaptative coping strategies in chronic pain. Therefore, it is necessary to take into account this factor in both the evaluation and treatment of fibromyalgia patients.