Can psychological factors be associated with the severity of pain and disability in patients with fibromyalgia? A cross-sectional study

Introduction: Psychological processes can play an important role in the expression and clinical impact of fibromyalgia. Objective: To investigate the association between the severity of pain and disability and psychological factors in patients with fibromyalgia. Methods: The following outcomes were assessed in 104 patients with fibromyalgia: pain intensity, using the Pain Numerical Rating Scale; disability, using the Patient-Specific Functional Scale; depression, using the Beck Depression Scale; anxiety, using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory; kinesiophobia, using the Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia; pain catastrophizing, using the Pain Catastrophizing Scale; beliefs and attitudes toward pain, using the Survey of Pain Attitudes; and the occurrence of abuse during some stage of life. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 15. Initially, a simple regression analysis was performed between the dependent variables (pain and disability) and the other variables with a significance level of p <= 0.20, and then a multiple regression analysis was performed with a significance level of p <= 0.05. Results: Depression was found to be associated with pain severity (beta = 0.07 [95% CI: 0.02 to 0.11], p = .00), and kinesiophobia was found to be associated with disability severity (beta = -0.06 [95% CI: -0.09 to -0.02], p = .00). Depression can explain 10% of the variability of pain intensity, while kinesiophobia can explain 9% of the variability of disability. Conclusion: There are weak associations that are not clinically relevant between depression and pain severity, and between kinesiophobia and disability severity. However, other psychological factors are not associated with the severity of pain or disability.