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. 2015 Oct;31(4):299-305.
doi: 10.1002/smi.2555. Epub 2013 Dec 26.

Psychological Resilience, Affective Mechanisms and Symptom Burden in a Tertiary-care Sample of Patients with Fibromyalgia

Samantha J McAllister  1 , Ann Vincent  1 , Afton L Hassett  2 , Mary O Whipple  1 , Terry H Oh  3 , Roberto P Benzo  4 , Loren L Toussaint  5
Affiliations

Psychological Resilience, Affective Mechanisms and Symptom Burden in a Tertiary-care Sample of Patients with Fibromyalgia

Samantha J McAllister et al. Stress Health. 2015 Oct.

Abstract

Research demonstrates that patients with fibromyalgia who have higher positive and lower negative affect have lower symptom burden. Affect has been shown to be associated with resilience. This study examined the relationship between affect, resilience and fibromyalgia symptom burden in a clinical sample of patients with fibromyalgia. We hypothesized that (a) positive and negative affect would be associated with fibromyalgia symptom burden; (b) resilience would be associated with positive and negative affect; (c) resilience would be associated with fibromyalgia symptom burden; and (d) the connection between resilience and fibromyalgia symptom burden would be mediated by both positive and negative affect. A sample of 858 patients with fibromyalgia completed questionnaires. Mediation modelling revealed statistically significant direct effects of resilience on fibromyalgia symptom burden (β = -0.10, P < 0.001) and statistically significant indirect effects of resilience on fibromyalgia symptom burden through affect (β = -0.36, P < 0.001), suggesting that both resilience and affect influence fibromyalgia symptom burden. Our results suggest that improving affect through resiliency training could be studied as a modality for improving fibromyalgia symptom burden.

Keywords: affect; chronic pain; fibromyalgia; resilience.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Concetual model proposing the direct and indirect effect of resilience on fibromyalgia symptom burden through positive and negative affect
Hypothesis D requires that both hypotheses A and B are confirmed and that there is evidence of a statistically significant indirect effect operating through positive and negative affect.
Figure 2
Figure 2. SEM model for the direct effect of resilience on fibromyalgia symptom burden and indirect effects of resilience through affect on symptom burden
All shown model coefficients are standardized and ps < .001. Covariance between positive and negative affect are not statistically significant. Only significant paths for control variables were specified in the model. These included: age and positive affect, Beta = .14; age and negative affect, Beta = −.13; female sex and positive affect, Beta = .09; female sex and fibromyalgia symptom burden, Beta = .07; BMI and fibromyalgia symptom burden, Beta = .12. Paths for control variables ps < .01.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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