The efficacy of a cognitive-behavioral patient education program was compared with the efficacy of treatment based solely on patient education. Both forms of treatment were integrated into the inpatient rehabilitation program. For therapy of fibromyalgia a multimodal therapy has been shown to be effective. Stress management, pain management and relaxation techniques enhance the ability to cope with the disease.
Various questionnaires including the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS-D), the questionnaire for assessment of level of coping with pain (FESV) and the patient questionnaire IRES-24 were distributed to 3,541 fibromyalgia patients within the framework of a pre, post and 6-month follow-up study design. Multivariate variance models were used for data analysis.
Both interventions showed positive effects on psychological impairment, coping with pain and state of health. Only the paired comparison showed different results. However, cognitive-behavioral patient education showed better effects on independent coping with the disease. These patients showed an improved ability to cope with pain and a better state of health at the end of the rehabilitation program.
Multimodal inpatient rehabilitation programs can have a strong positive impact on the course of the disease for patients with fibromyalgia. A cognitive-behavioral treatment appears to strongly influence coping with the disease.