TITLE:
Higher Emotion-Related Distress in Patients with Fibromyalgia versus Chronic Neuropathic Pain and Healthy Controls: Is It a Primary Affective Disorder?
AUTHORS:
Ksenija Vucurovic, Delphine Raucher-Chéné, Clémentine Dupont-Gaudin, Philippe Peruzzi, Jean-François Visseaux, Arthur Kaladjian, Christine-Vanessa Cuervo-Lombard
KEYWORDS:
Paranoia, Chronic Pain, Self-Esteem, Impulsivity
JOURNAL NAME:
Psychology,
Vol.11 No.10,
October
28,
2020
ABSTRACT: Fibromyalgia is central sensitization pain disorder with various psychological symptoms. Our aim is to compare trait paranoia, self-esteem and impulsivity between fibromyalgia patients (FM), chronic neuropathic pain sufferers (CNP) and healthy control. We administrated the Mini International Neuropsychologic Interview to 30 FM, 27 CNP and 22 HC. All participants completed the Paranoia, Rosenberg Self-Esteem and Short UPPS-P Impulsivity Behavior Scales, Beck Depression and State-Trait Anxiety inventories. Patients provided pain ratings and completed the French version of the McGill Pain Questionnaire and Pain Catastrophizing Scale. An analysis of variance compared the three groups, with adjustment for psychological distress, pain severity and education level. Anxiety-related psychiatric comorbidities were more prevalent in FM. Depression and state anxiety were higher in both CNP and FM, while trait anxiety was higher in FM compared to two other groups. Paranoia scores were significantly higher among FM than among HC, with intermediate scores in CNP. These group differences remained after adjustment for psychological distress, pain severity and education level. Lower self-esteem and higher negative urgency in patients with FM disappeared when results were adjusted for psychological distress. FM described sensory and affective aspects of pain as more severe and displayed higher pain catastrophizing than CNP group. These results suggest that emotion-related distress is higher in FM than in CNP.